Home for Christmas

I'm back home after my little birthday holiday...we took off to the beach house for a while and I had a lovely birthday because I had suprise visitors come to help celebrate with me. Mum and dad and my sister and her husband and my niece. They took me out for lunch and then prepared a birthday dinner at the house. We had a little fire outside and sipped champagne, then everyone stayed the night.

It's always lovely to come home again though, because I still have much to do before Christmas Day - I am cooking a traditional lunch for my family, and then my in-laws are joining us Christmas night for dinner...it's always a very big day.

I tend to feel quite overwhelmed at this time of year, so I always ensure that I take the time to slow down and reflect upon what Christmas means to me. I get such simple joy from being at home, listening to carols, watching Christmas movies and cooking shows (love those!) and enjoying all my decorations with my family around me.

Yesterday, I went through some old photos, and decided I would scatter some amongst my holiday decor - memories to make me smile. These are just some of my favourites. The one of me was taken just after my 16th birthday at mum and dad's. Yes, I still had a stocking on Christmas morning, a tradition my girls still enjoy.




















This one of the girls is taken at their nana and pop's - I love this photo! The stocking Georgia is holding is hand-made by mum and is embellished with lots of tokens from our childhood - badges and pieces of broken jewellery, so it is very special. I remember that my parent's had mistletoe hanging in their entrance, and every one that came to our home was greeted with a kiss under the mistletoe...























I would like to thank each and every one of you for all of your lovely words throughout the year. It has been such a pleasure getting to 'know' you all...I am feeling some big changes coming to my world in the next year, and am unsure where they may take me. So, with that, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and will bid you farewell for a while. I may pop in now and again over the next month or two, but intend to try to enjoy some old-fashioned time with family and friends without computers and mobile phones...hmmm, wonder how that will go? Be safe, and remember to enjoy the little things because someday you will realise they were the big things xxx