I think we peaked a little early for Christmas this year! Tree up in November, Christmas playlists on repeat prior to that and light display tours completed in early December. Due to our weekend away plans, I rushed to finish the fudge/rum ball/rocky road goodie jars for the neighbours, so by the time Christmas rolled around we weren't even turning on the tree and house fairy lights anymore!
That isn't to say we didn't have some memorable moments. We had an awesome time at the Road to Bethlehem production with family from both sides, though Hudson found the stern Roman guards a little too realistic, prompting them to come out of character and reassure him they were really just nice people in costume!
We had initially planned to have a Christmas Eve slumber party at Mum and Dad's new three story apartment, but the lack of beds and bedrooms and the thought of already hyped kids not sleeping made us reconsider. We hosted the dinner at our place and it was really fun! As usual, the spread from the family was incredible, with turkey, roast vegetables, apricot and chicken salad; beetroot, roast pumpkin and feta salad; Moroccan couscous salad, garlic bread and ham. I was ordered out of the kitchen on many occasions by Mum and Hali and forced to relax on the chair and watch (not my forte by any means!)
The kids did really well with the chaos and craziness of Christmas. They both got to open one present before dinner and I suspect they would have been satisfied with that gift, particularly Eli who had been saving up for Cabbie from Planes Fire & Rescue for a few months now. After dinner we gathered around to open the presents together and there were many presents for the new baby which was a little exciting for me! Hudson was in his element pick pocketing unsuspecting Uncle Artur's iphone, and doing crazy laps of the living room. The rest of the night was filled with games, pudding, laughter, carols mocking and reminiscing.
Loren and Artur crashed at our place and we awoke the next morning probably more excited than the kids! We broke the golden rule of never waking a sleeping child and brought Eli and Hudson into our room for opening stockings. Ever since our weekend away, Dave had been hanging out to give the remote control helicopter to Eli. We spent the morning immersed in the organized chaos of discarded wrapping and new toys before heading to bring at Mum and Dad's.
Brunch was beautifully put together, with Bircher muesli, Burek, pancakes, berries, summer fruit and the last of the freshly squeezed orange juice from the Tinarra Court fruit trees. It was very refreshing having a meal that didn't focus on presents to start off Christmas Day. After an excursion to visit the ducks at the nearby lake, we all piled into the car to head off to lunch.
Pat and John always put on an amazing spread of a traditional hot Christmas lunch. The rapidly growing family only just fit around the long table with the help of no less than four high chairs! Present time went smoothly after lunch and Eli and Hudson had heaps of fun with cousin Isaac playing on his electronic drum set. After sampling Kelly's baked goods all afternoon, we barely had enough room to fit in the cold meat and salad dinner and following desserts. Eli and Hudson were struggling by this point and being very wingey and trying, so we eventually gave up and headed home for much needed bed time.
All in all, through the exhaustion of third trimester pregnancy and the fragile emotions of overstimulated children, we had a meaningful, memorable and enjoyable Christmas. Hard to believe that for the next one we will have an 11 month old in tow as well!
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