In short. Not that bad…
My husband and I put our Christmas Tree up on the 23rd. Part laziness and part damage control. Nothing rips through an immaculately decorated lounge, quite like a toddler.
Christmas Eve was surprisingly relaxed. My South African family put together a lovely festive soiree. There was the odd eye roll moment but all in all, very sweet.
We only bought a token present for each other and focused on our daughter for gifts this year. Financially, we could not follow suit of previous years. It was quite liberating and very beneficial to the wallet.
Christmas Day was beautiful. Our daughters face, was pure joy, from sunrise to sunset. My roast dinner was perfect. I was well and truly proud of myself, as we toasted the evening, with a glass of wine.
Boxing Day started well. I was back in the kitchen, in full Buffet prep mode. My parents and grandfather were the first to arrive. Shortly followed by my brother, his ex and their two kids.
My brother was in a vile mood. His kids were only allowed to bring one present to open at my house. Within 30 minutes, they were bored. Why only bring one present for them! Nothing like miserable parents, who like to spread their disdain, around the entire group! Mum brought alcohol, that was consumed by my brother, who could not be arsed to bring his own. My Dad was keen to get back with my Grandad, as he was being quite difficult. The whole affair was a waste. My daughter was having a field day. Lots of gifts. Lots of attention. She had a great time.
Once they had all left and my fridge was full of leftovers, I finally sat down and relaxed. Well, that was until our girl threw an epic tantrum and stopped breathing in the middle of the lounge. She does suffer from Blue Breath holding episodes. Each time is still as horrifying as the first. She gets trapped in her cry and passes out. She has had all the tests and they apparently do her no harm. She will grow out of them. We just have to be patient. Terrific.
By the time our bedtime loomed, I was feeling quite rough. A migraine was imminent. 3 long days in a row and I was feeling it. My husband went back to work the next day. Normal life resumed immediately. Anticlimactic doesn’t quite cover it.
We managed to squeeze in Home Alone and Lethal Weapon during our 3 day Christmas break. Hubby was happy to sit through Love Actually too. During the famous ‘To me, you are perfect’ scene, my other half was heckling the poor chap. ‘Get over it mate! She is married! You missed your chance!’ I wish he came with a mute button at times. The scene which saw Martine McCutcheon, leap into Hugh Grants arms at the airport, just about finished him off. ‘Security is a bit lax at Heathrow! She could have been anyone…a suicide bomber even!’. Really darling. It’s just a movie!
The Christmas Tree is all packed away already. Ready to enjoy New Years Eve with a clear surface area. I used to love the mess of it all. Now, I just love getting the hoover out!