Merry Christmas

The Greek Godzilla and I do not have many things we love in common.  Seriously, we don’t.

Our shared loves include our son (natch), the Greek Godzilla (obvs), red wine, carpet picnics, LOST, Gold by Spandau Ballet, steak night, movies (not the same ones though, we take turns to choose) and Christmas.

Christmas in our house begins on 1st December.  That is the day our advent calendar goes up and I am allowed to start playing Christmas songs.

The first weekend in December, we will go as a family to pick out our Christmas tree and decorate it the moment we get it home.  I’ll pop Christmas carols on in the background while the Greek Godzilla untangles the fairy lights.

Zachy will be able to help decorate it this year instead of just putting the shiny baubles in his mouth or hiding them in the dishwasher.

The Greek God(zilla)’s birthday is in the second week of December, so we always have a get together with family and friends around that time.  The tree will twinkle prettily in the background while we drink mulled wine and eat mince pies. 

Christmas cards are written and posted.  Stockings are hung on the mantle.  Presents are wrapped and hidden out of sight from a curious 3-year old.

Every year since Zachy was born, we have left out a glass of wine and a mince-pie for Santa but this will probably be the first year that he will actually notice and/or understand.

I can’t wait to see his little face when he comes downstairs on Christmas morning to see that Father Christmas has been and left a stack of presents waiting for him under the tree.

It’s a happy day for us.  We eat too much, we drink too much and we snack on miniature chocolates while watching Christmas specials on TV.

We really do get excited for Christmas every year, but more so this year as Zachy has finally reached the age where he will appreciate it too – especially the presents, I suspect.

This has given us license to get really carried away and this year we are upping the festive spirit even more.

A friend of mine in Atlanta (hello Melissa!!!) has a really fun tradition for her kids, where every night in December a naughty Christmas elf comes to life and wreaks havoc all over their house with his mischievous deeds.

One night the naughty elf might empty the contents of the toy box all over the rug.  The next night he might hide the remote control, or bake biscuits and leave a mess all over the kitchen.  Another time he might build a Lego tower or be found in the laundry basket wearing all my jewellery. 

It doesn’t have to be anything too clever or creative, the most important thing is the excitement when Zachy wakes up and we tiptoe downstairs together to see what mischief the elf has been up to in the night.

3-weeks and counting until the festive season begins!

I kid you not, we are one click away from ordering Christmas jumpers on the internet.

Not this far though… we are NOT that family.

Do you love Christmas?  What are your Christmas traditions?

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