Merry Christmas...

Christmas Day!  It's a bit strange going to a different house for Christmas because at home I know the whole routine of the day but being somewhere else you're never quite sure what will come next.  In the morning we went to the service at Scapegoat Hill Baptist Church just up the road from the house (although we still took the car).  It was a nice Christmas morning service with lots of carols and little talk.  Then it was straight back to the house to get the dinner ready.  With  7 of us already there we were just waiting for the other 4 to arrive - Ian, Sheena, Elliot and Lyndon.  Laraine couldn't remember what time she had told them to come so we were working on 1pm but by half past we rang them and they were working on 2pm so we delayed putting on the gravy!

Sally phoned at about 5pm while we were still finishing off dinner with cheese and crackers and they had opened presents, eaten dinner and were both sitting in their new pajamas already.  The rest of our day was then spent playing lots of silly games.  The highlights of the games were that I am now the champion of the 'find the dolly mixture' game, Robert is the champion of the 'throw the card into the pudding bowl' game and Laraine is the champion of the 'move the dried peas from the plate to the cup using only a straw' game.

We had our second Christmas Day in Stockton on the 27th when Rob and Sally arrived from their hotel in the lakes.  Again it was a lovely turkey dinner but this time with more presents in the afternoon as we had only taken a couple over to Huddersfield for the three of us so this was the main present opening Christmas for us.  I was given the task of distributing the presents from under the tree and managed to spoil the surprise for Mum's present by handing her the book for 'Learn to Play the Cornet' before she had opened the actual present of the Cornet.  Still I don't think she minded and she got straight into practising, having never had much practice at playing a brass instrument I can't say that the first attempt sounded very musical but more like a strangled cat but I know she will become an expert in no time!