Christmas Eve

I think that we might actually be ready for Christmas in our house. We're staying with my Mum's parents for Christmas and drove here on Friday through lots of horrible fog. Actually the drive wasn't as bad as I had expected - we'd decided that five of us and all our stuff was unlikely to fit in my Mum's car so I got to drive my car and HP came in it with me. At times the visibility was minimal, in places you couldn't even see the other side of the road, but so long as there was a car in front to follow I didn't mind.

We spent yesterday shopping. In the morning I went last minute food shopping at sainsburys with my Mum and HP, and then in the afternoon the three of us hit Cheltenham shops and just about managed to finish our Christmas shopping. We were glad that a lot of the shops were staying open till 8pm, and definitely needed the 4 hours we'd paid for in the car park. However, we haven't yet thought of anyone that we haven't got at least one thing for.

Today the majority of the family went out to church twice. I actually went back to bed this morning to sleep some more. I'm on the put-you-up fold out bed downstairs, and for one reason or another I'd had quite a disturbed night. However a couple more hours of sleep this morning turned me from grumpy Debs into more bearable to be with Debs :-). This evening I did go to church and heard my Grandad preaching and leading the service.

We've just finished tea (it's now 10.20pm) and HP and Bekki are washing up. I was excused from helping with that so long as I just my amazing organisation powers to get eveything back in the fridge that ought to be there! And then I sneaked away to write on my blog - I'm not sure when I'll next have a chance.

Tomorrow morning (and tonight) will be busy as people discuss things of vital importance, such as how much onion to put in the stuffing and when to prepare all the vegetables. HP, Bekki and I will wake up and find stockings on our beds (yes, we may not be kids anymore, but some traditions never change!) and we'll go and open them sitting on my parents bed, taking it in turns to pick one item out each.

At 10.30am it's the Christmas morning service at church, and then we'll come back to finish getting the dinner. I've no idea what time we'll actually sit down to eat, but it certainly won't be before 2pm. After we've eaten, all the washing up is done and people have finished any last minute wrapping, we'll all assemble in the front room for our present giving. Each gift will be given out by the nominated Father Christmas (or two - usually HP and I), and then opened admired, and the giver thanked before the next one can be given out. After the presents things tend to be fairly chilled out. People will probably eat tea at some point, which may just be a cup of tea and a piece of cake, and we'll all just enjoy each others company.

On Boxing day we'll be invaded by one of my Mum's brothers and his family (all 9 of them all together) so it's bound to be a fairly hectic day. And on Wednesday we'll probably go and hit the sales (I really need to get some new clothes, especially trousers, as most of mine fall down at the moment!).

That's about all that I can predict of the week to come at the moment. I'll check in at some point to say if all went as planned. But in the meeanwhile, if you've read this far in my post you definitely deserve to have a very Happy Christmas :-)