Oh Christmas tree, oh christmas tree.....

The excitement is mounting, can you feel it? The air gets a certain smell and there is a magic feeling all around. i know that perhaps that is just me, but Christmas is without a doubt my favorite time of year.

I wanted to start this post with a challenge of sorts , except its not very challenging. I did one of those questionnaires that I love so much the other day and one of the questions was , ever written a letter to Santa? I was shocked to see that most of my friends said no. For me your letter to father Christmas is the beginning of all the excitement. deciding what to put on it, what to say to him and then of course your method of "posting".

My mum always took us into the back garden and we burned our letters (pyromaniacs that we are) she said that the fairy's came down and collected all the pieces and put them together and gave them to father Christmas. So of course because my mum did that, so will I. I plan to "help " Lily write her letter and on the 1st December we are going to burn it outside for the fairy's. I have it on good authority that father Christmas is going to write back to her too.

So here's my challenge. I think we should all write a letter with something we want on it. I know of a few blogger friends who have already received their Christmas wishes!!

My next favorite thing is decorating. I am a traditionalist. none of these poncy different colour trees for me. I like a lovely, full ,green tree. I would love a real tree but as the ones in cape town were never very good I have a good artificial one. When I was little it was really the most exciting time. We would put on our Christmas records and unpack all the boxes of decorations. my dad would huff and puff putting up our tree and then we would set about unpacking each decoration. I just love that all my mums decorations were individual. bought as the years went by. they all have a story and a meaning, as do all of mine. one by one the decorations were unpacked very carefully as some are precious you know. when the tree is up and sparkling we switch off the lights and the tree twinkles. You must then have a mince pie , the ultimate Christmas fare, and a lovely cup of tea.

I have the best ornaments on my tree and since moving to England have acquired another tree full.Last year I was set free in the Harrods Christmas shop and was never happier. I have old fashioned ornaments , glass ornaments , crystal , funny , traditional... you name it I have it. I also have a beautiful snow globe collection and stockings...

aaahhh stockings... my next favorite thing.

I have only recently got a new stocking when my old one more or less fell apart. Lily has a divine one purchased for her last year and I am having such fun finding stocking fillers for her. I cant wait for her the open her stocking up. Today I got her these cute little wind up toys. a penguin and a dinosaur and a bouncy ball filled with glitter and a snowman.

But I digress

On Christmas eve I used to put my stocking at the end of my bed for father Christmas to fill. Christmas eve is like bursting point for me. getting the mince pie and sherry to put out, putting out my stocking and lying in bed wishing for sleep through my excitement because then morning would come quicker, but listening out for the sleigh bells just in case.

We could always open our stockings first, usually at 6 in the morning and then we would spend the morning looking longingly at our pressies waiting for my Nana to get ready. My poor Nana. We would start pestering at about 8. I remember one Christmas going down there with my brother and my mum to pick her up hurrying her along, poor Nana!!

we always have my Nana's shortbread in the morning with tea and all give out our gifts and laze and play. Mum usually puts some breakfast out like croissants and a few people come round as the morning progresses. We have a buffet cold lunch usually and in recent years a bucketful of wine and champagne.

I can never remember what we did in the evening but I presume passed out ( much like now just for different reasons) in recent years I have gone to the Cobley family and we usually play some games which are very fun or very stressful depending on the competitive nature on the day.

I think that's whats great about tradition. Some things stay the same always and some new traditions are born.

I always put my stocking on my bed as we had no fireplace but I do have one now and Kristian insists father Christmas does not come to houses that have no fireplace ( shock, horror)

so Lily will put hers up on her little holder thing.

Lily also has a fabulous talking bear that reads the night before Christmas. I want to incorporate that into our traditions.

And so begins a whole new set of tradition as Lily is on our life

ultimately Christmas is about family and friends. I have a dream of having one big Christmas lunch with all my family and friends and children running around.

Christmas time is magic, It fills me with excitement and joy and I cannot wait to share it with my little girl this year.

Lily and her christmas bear last year