Christmas Celebrations

We have had a very busy December with lots of preparations fro the BIG DAY. First and foremost was Christmas Card Photos. As they are probably still on their way to the good old USA I thought I woudl finally post the picture we used.

Please note the collection of baubles just to the left of Adam's head and you'll realise that Carys did not take direction very well. Our instructions of 'Don't put them all in one place' was not understood adn we ended up with several 'clusters' like the one you see.

We had many ups and downs this night... including
- the tree falling over (well nearly)
- a moment I like to call "The Leaning Tree of Piza"
- bauble mayhem


This is our second year with a real tree. Last year we bought a monster of a tree adn were convinced we were not going to make the same mistake again. WRONG! This tree seemed so 'in proportion' out in the wide open spaces of Christmas Tree Lot. We all fell in love with it and handed our £40.00 over to Mr Molloy who gave us a discount (should have been £50.00) and gave the kids a lollipop.

Molloy's garden centre gives me goosebumps, especially at Christmas. It reminds me of the small town feel of a feed store on a Saturday morning. The place where you walk in and instantly feel welcomed and recgonise your fellow shoppers, smiling and greeting each other and actually get a reaction back. Somewhere you are sure to see someone you know and somewhere where you get satisfaction from seeing several generations of a family working together toward a common goal. Its not something I see very often here suburbia, maybe because there are so few businesses like this one left. Thats the difference between country mouse and city mouse isn't it. I suppose my children are city mice and it makes me sad that they won't have this 'comparison' to make.

Anyway.. back to Christmas Tree....

Last year we struggled keeping our tree straight! We carted bricks in from outside and placed them strtegically in a bucket to stabilsie the tree. It worked like a charm. This year we bought bucket/tree stand that was designed to hold the tree in place. After struggleing to keep the screws tight enough to hold the tree we were able to decorate it and take our photos!!!

.... and so the Christmas season begins......