Sunday 23 December 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

So, the big day is almost upon us, just one more day to go, and I have to admit that I’m pretty darn excited about it.

I always get excited at Christmas, I blame my December birth for my love of winter etc, etc, etc.  This year, for some reason, I feel more excited than normal! 

Although the weather isn’t in the least bit festive (rain, rain and more blasted rain) we’ve had a wonderful few days which have placed us well and truly in mood. 

The tree is up, a twinkling sweet smelling spruce, and is adorned with my treasured decorations.  I love the familiarity that the unpacking of the same Christmas decorations brings. 

All of my decorations mean a lot to me.  Most were bought before I’d met Mr Y, about 15 years ago, when the purchasing of a new set of Christmas baubles had become a tradition.  My mum, Nan and I would make a yearly trip to the local garden centre where I’d agonise over which new baubles to choose before retiring to the coffee shop for tea and cake (cake being something my Nan was very fond of). 



These delicate glass globes hold very special memories for me and that’s why I’m a total control freak when it comes to decorating the tree.  Amazingly, only 2 have been broken over the years; the first by our dim-witted black Labrador with his ridiculously whippy tail and the second fell at the hands of an inquisitive toddler. 

Alongside decorating the house, the cakes have been iced, but not before causing me an immense amount of stress!! 

You see, Friday saw my electric mixer give up the ghost.  It happened just as I’d past the point of no return having added the icing sugar to the egg whites.  I dithered as to whether there was anything I could do to salvage the ingredients but found the pondering made me madder than even and so, as any rational person would do, I placed the entire bowl into a sink full of water and threw the mixer onto the stone floor!!  Practical? No.  Therapeutic? Most definitely!!

Saturday dawned and Mr Y came to the rescue with a shiny new mixer which, luckily for the household, whipped up the royal icing in next to no time and, voila, 3 snowcapped cakes with a little glitter for added sparkle!


In the evening, we went to see the pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  It didn’t start out very well for littlest Y as she was terrified but the impressively mean witch and was reduced to floods of tears.  A cuddle and some popcorn later and she’d managed a half smile but it wasn’t until we were leaving the theatre that she finally brightened up.

Tomorrow will soon be here and brings with it many more things to do so I shall bid you goodnight and leave you with a parting snap of me in my playschool nativity from 1985, in the days when the costumes were all homemade, the manger animals traditional and we sung good old fashioned carols!  Yes, I know I'm sounding old ;o)

I'm the angel in the centre, standing right behind Mary.

5 comments:

  1. haha.... what a cute smile! I hope you & yours have a wonderful Christmas :) xx

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  2. Merry Christmas, Lucy! Looking forward to tucking into our cake, I heard on the radio that it is traditional to start today, yay!!!
    Hen xxx

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  3. Merry Christmas to you! Xxx

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  4. Yumm your cakes look just like the ones my Mum used to make when we were little, we got very excited each year when we were allowed to make the icing spiky with a knife and then stick a ton of plastic snowmen, trees and Santa's on top it was a miracle that the cake didn't cave in under the weight of the tat we stuck on top!

    Oh and what an adorable angel you made, love the cheeky smile!! xx

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