my true love gave to me ..... a post from the lovely Cambridge Mummy.

This Christmas I'm giving something to myself - a new Christmas tree and some *nice* Christmas decorations. OK, so they are not the £99 baubles that Mamasaurus recently reviewed, but they are, in my mind, 'expensive'. They are around £4.00 per bauble. And I'm having a matching theme and everything. But anyway, I want to tell you about why I'm doing this…

To me, Christmas is about the shiny, the sparkle, the new - or new again, starting anew and starting over. The only fly in the ointment has been that the Christmas tree is a fake one and we've had it so long that we've officially been "in profit" on for a couple of years now. It's in profit because we bought it several years ago, calculated the average cost of a real tree and then kept using the fake one for so long that we were mentally in profit. 

I think that my fascination with decorations at Christmas comes from when I was little - very small indeed - I made a Mary and Joseph at school - using the old faithful of washing up bottles for the bodies and I don't know what for the head. But there was material on them, and they were such a thing of beauty - to me and my Mum, that they were still the signal of Christmas when I was at University. I'd come home and look for where my Mum had put them. Sadly, my Dad instigated a "clearing out the loft" initiative and binned all of our family decorations a few years ago. He still gets told off for it, every year, by both me and my Mum!

So, now that the boys are past the point of dragging the tree down, I'm in the market for a new Christmas tree and I'm really happy about it. It's got to be pre lit, around 6.5 or 7 metres high and a nice colour of green.

To me, my first day of Christmas, will be when I get my tree, so I've got to get onto it. Pronto. What would you recommend?

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my true love gave to me .....

a fabulous memory post from Sarah who blogs at www.boorooandtiggertoo.com 

My favourite all time Christmas present has to be my Bluebird A La Carte kitchen. I can remember running down the stairs Christmas morning (I was 4 years old) and seeing this enormous present sitting in the middle of the living room.  Ripping off all the wrapping paper I was in awe to see the kitchen I had crazed so much for every time I saw the advert on the TV.

Carefully lining up the boxes on the shelves along one side, adding a tea towel I’d hi-jacked from the kitchen I was ready for action. Pretending to cook up a storm on the hob and oven using the blue pans, although I never managed to re-create the swiss roll like the girl from the advert.  After a hard days cooking I would wash up my pots in the sink that was around the back of the kitchen and pop the tea towel in the washing machine.  

I love that kitchen, although I can still remember my older sister putting too much into the washing machine and breaking the door.  My Mum managed to order a replacement door and I can still remember going to the sorting office to collect it, I was so proud that my Mum had managed to fix the toy I loved.

Bio

Sarah is a working mum of two who blogs at Boo Roo and Tigger Too.  She is dotty about polka dots and will do almost anything for a chocolate bar.

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...... my true love gave to me ...... a Christmas memories post from my fabulous friend Emma, who blogs at Emmaand3.com

My Christmas memories often focus around Christmas eve.  I have always loved the preparation and the excitement that the day brings.  The mornings would often seem to pass very slowly when I was a child.  A Christmas film would be put on there was normally one on the TV often Bedknobs and Broomsticks for some reason. 

The afternoon would be full of hustle and bustle.  I’m not sure why but I seem to recall people popping in and out.  Probably delivering presents.  Then it would be an early bath before getting ready for the nativity at church.  My mum was in charge of the Sunday School so I would be there sorting out costumes and settling children.  This is a role I still have now and love the excitement on their faces, my own children and nephew are now ingrained in this tradition.  We would place presents under the tree that would be taken to a local charity or a women’s refuge to be used by them.

We would walk home in darkness and know the evening was only just beginning.  Our neighbours over the road would soon be having their open house party where it seemed everyone from the area would pop by.  The house would be loud and full of fun.  We were then taken home and put to bed.

My dad would then lock the door return to the party where my mum still was over the road ( yes, not something done anymore but this was the 90’s!)

My dad would then come home whilst the adults went to midnight mass and the party finished.  As I got older and joined the procession to midnight mass I now realise how drunk most of the congregation was during this service!

Christmas eve is full of promise when you are a child and I have enjoyed doing many of the same traditions with my three children although we don’t go to  midnight mass.  Like my parents before me as  I have usually had a glass or two of fizz and church is no longer in walking distance of my home!!

I think it is a great shame that fewer children take part in a traditional nativity either at school or at a church.  I remember church being packed to the rafters on Christmas eve.  Even if for many it was a only a yearly appearance I think it adds to the festivities and helps us remember to be a good neighbour and be nice to each other.

I can’t wait for Christmas Eve and I hope you enjoy yours

Love Emma x

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...... my true love gave to me ...... no turtle doves but two little loves.

I know I said that our 12 days of Christmas memories would be guest posts but as it is my turn to do Wot So Funee, I couldn't resist sharing the memories that my daughters help to create every single day.

The little one has developed a vivid imagination and bath time can be anything from a hair dressing salon to an afternoon tea party but last night she was making her big sister pretend to be a baby and was feeding her in the bath.

I know this is cute but not particularly very funny, that is until she puts a spoonful of bubbles into her sisters mouth saying "here is some strawberries and icecream .......", and just as her sister closes her mouth, she finishes with "......... and spiders".

She has suddenly developed comic timing from somewhere (it's not me, as I usually tell the punchline way after the moment has passed). So our tea party was filled with bubbles, laughter and spiders! Just your average afternoon tea then eh?

Has your little one said anything funny this week? I would love you to share your post in the linky below.

 
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