Christmas at my house is choc-full of fun, food and festivities. The main instigator of preparations, which begin in early December, is my daughter, child number three, a December girl who waits a whole year to celebrate both her birthday and Christmas. My Sagittarius is a whirlwind, the one in the family with the loudest voice, sparkling eyes and the biggest heart; you know when she enters a room without looking, her presence is so strong. For the past month, I have been “organised” by my daughter to go shopping for the ingredients we need to prepare a Christmas feast … and more!
A few days before Christmas, my five grand-babies came to my house for the annual Kid’s Cooking Day. Not a lot of actual cooking is done, it is pre-prepared for the little ones to have some fun. Chocolate Crackles require no baking, they are set in the fridge after the children help Aunt Em count out the cups and spoons full of ingredients, mix, and place them into patty pans. Emma and I baked cookies for them to decorate a few days before, and I also had a Christmas craft kit for the children to make decorations with.
This year, I made matching aprons for the children to wear while cooking, which Master Seven and his little brother, Master Two, modelled for me to take a photo.
I have lost count of the number of years Emma has baked and decorated a gingerbread house for Christmas. She gave up on perfection after her nephew, Master Seven, first decided he wanted to help with the decorating. As more children have come along, Emma has been happy to sacrifice her ideals of perfection for the little ones.
By the time the big day arrived, I was exhausted. This year, we had twenty guests here on Christmas Day consisting of my four grown-up “children”, their spouses, my five grandchildren, my ninety-year-old mother-in-law, my son-in-law’s sister and her daughter, and my daughter-in-law’s parents. It was a relief to finally relax, sit around the pool, and enjoy the garden where I spend so much of my time working!
As soon as the deck chairs were empty though, this cheeky pair grabbed them!
Being a hot day, this year we spent most of the day outdoors. The children loved playing in the pool and had fun setting up a picnic area on the grass, in the shade, where they ate their Christmas dinner.
The three older generations enjoyed our Christmas meal at the table!
December has been quite a busy month. It’s fun, but I have to admit that I am pleased there is only one Christmas in a year. The preparations are worth the effort though when I see my family together, relaxing, enjoying the day … and acting like total clowns!
And everyone celebrating, having fun, making memories, and feeling comfortable in the home my four children grew up in. 🙂
In My World 
Looks like a ball was had by all! You have a wonderful family, Joanne.
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Thank you, Cathy. It was a great day! 🙂
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You had quite the crowd and celebration. Well done, cheers to Mom and Grandmother!
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It was definitely more hectic than usual, Frank, but a great day all the same. 🙂
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Wow, a lot of prep, no wonder you were exhausted!
Interesting for me to see Christmas in the summer. 🙂
A part of me wanted to walk into the photo and tour your garden. 😉 Maybe you’ll post some wide shots so we can all see the fruits of your labor? 🙂
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Haha, you have a knack for looking beyond the main subject, Eliza, as I thought you might! As I added these photos, it crossed my mind that I must add some wide shots in a post here and there next year. 🙂
If only you could walk into my photos, and me into yours! Wouldn’t that be fun … ❤
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Yes, teleporting! 🙂
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That is a lot of people to cook for! Glad you all had a fun time Joanne!
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We are still eating leftovers too, believe it or not!
I hope you had a great Christmas, Cathy. ❤
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It’s hard to grasp the changes that have occurred since I first “met” you, before marriages and grandchildren. You have a lovely family and it looks like your holidays were filled with all the good stuff – family and love – which makes the work worth it. And the relaxation time that finally follows all the more important.
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We’ve shared many highlights – and sad times – over the years, haven’t we?
Thank you for continuing to drop by, Carol. I always love to hear from you. ❤
I hope you were able to enjoy Christmas with Kat and Gep this year. xx
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Oh – and the gingerbread house reminds me of the one time I made one – my husband put a small light inside, and the warmth of that light released the wonderful aroma of gingerbread throughout the house.
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I love that! I told Emma what you said, and we both wondered if in our hot climate, a tealight candle would be too hot and melt the “sugar glue” holding the house together! I think we should try it out and see, just before we break the house to eat. 🙂
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I’m curious to hear how that works.
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Looks like you had a lovely family Christmas Joanne! x
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It was a lot of work, but definitely worth the effort.
Thank you, Nicki. 🙂
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What a delightful post! You sure did have a busy Christmas! Loved the photos … so very special. Thanks so much for sharing 🤗
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I hope your Christmas was an enjoyable one, Julie. Thank you for dropping by! ❤
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A wonderful Christmas for a great big family! You are blessed with so many grandchildren to love. It was a lot of work but worth it for all the new memories you created. I loved seeing all your photos, Joanne. 🎄
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I hope you made many new memories with your family during the holidays, Barbara. ❤
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