What are you doing this Christmas that's a bit different..

[Hushabyelullaby]

..to what you normally do?

Our extended family (siblings, their partners, and their kids), is increasing in size year on year. We like to spend Christmas together, but there are too many of us to comfortably fit in someone's house, so we have decided that this year we are going out. There are 18 of us going to an Indian restaurant. I don't think I've been as excited about food over the festive season for years, if at all.

So, what are you doing that's different?

I'm with Wilf for Christmas and we are volunteering at a local Church Hall to serve Christmas Lunch to the local homeless community. He's very good about volunteering but he is very materialistic about Christmas and I think and hope it will make him appreciate what he has.
We walked through a very cold town centre lady night and he noticed all the homeless people in the shop doorways... 😪 😪 😪

We're an interfaith family and had a traditional Jewish Chinese dinner last night with a glass of fizz, with leftovers today.

It’s just us. Me, dh and our dc. Very different to usual large family gathering and very calming

Last Christmas Day was spent sitting with my gravely ill DM. She survived a couple of resuscitation and came home to use in March. Frail, confused but still with us and will no doubt see her 90th birthday in 2019.
In June DH developed sepsis and had life changing surgery to survive. It has been a long, difficult time.
So we decided instead of all the fuss and faff we usually get embroiled in, we'd have a quiet day just the 3 of us. Possibly in our PJs!

Anyway, last night at Mass, some friends showed how much they had worried and cared about us.
Distance family have Skyped and made us giggle.
This morning our neighbours have given us a really thoughtful and greatly appreciated gift .... and we've consumed an awful lot of champagne already!
I was dreading today but you know what, already it has been unexpectedly good 😉