Well the big day has been and gone and we did things a little differently around here with a few tweeks on traditions.
Whilst Folly 1 went off to see her friends (including the Boyfriend) the remaining five Follies still did a Christmas Eve walk, though we kept it more local. This decision split the family in half and I was in the half struggling with change. The local walk around the village although lovely just did not seem Christmassy enough - until we saw these beauties walking around the farmyard.
Mr Folly was adamant that nothing could epitomise Christmas more than this.
Another change was attending church on Christmas Eve - something we have not done since having children. There was a 7pm service with lots of carols, a sparkly tree and a nativity scene involving some of the children of the parish. Poor Mary did suffer a crisis with her head-dress at a vital moment but kept her presence of mind and clung on to Jesus!
The predominant theme of presents this year seems to have been scarves which is fine by me. The Christmas miss of the year was my idea to abandon the Stilton and try a different blue cheese. It seems some traditions just can't be changed!
Folly 3 has been busy creating with the written word. I think at school the children were given the task of writing a poem in the form of a recipe and so here is her recipe of our family life. I don't think anyone could describe families any better than this.
A family recipe
Add arguments and fights to strops and punishments.
Stir in some love and support.
Turn up the heat and add moods, tempers and leave for me time.
Then stir hard while adding laughter and fun.
Then leave to cool.
Note: Warning - if you leave for too long it will become boring and flavourless
I think it must be the drop in temperature but there's suddenly a demand amongst the Follies for baked treats and munchies.
Folly 3 is doing well responding to the daily demands of the household for mince pies and flapjacks. Each time she makes a batch of mince pies I take half away and put them in the freezer for those times when we feel like an afternoon snack and don't have the time or the inclination to bake. (Unusually organised for me)
I have been cracking on with the Christmas cooking (well yes strictly speaking mince pies are Christmas cooking too) which we won't eat until we have all begun our holidays. So far I have made a traditional fruit cake and have a couple of small Dundee cakes in the oven which might end up as gifts (depending how they turn out).
We have to pick our times of cooking carefully though as we have decorators painting the kitchen. As they pack up their paint brushes, rollers and drop cloths out come our pastry brushes, bun tins and aprons.
The pervading smell of home cooking certainly beats that of the paint fumes.
