All that hype, build up and expense, and Christmas has come and gone in a flash as always. I can’t believe that this time last week it was Christmas Eve and we were rushing about trying to do all the last bits and pieces. We were particularly lucky to have two Christmases this year – one just us lot on Christmas Day, and then my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law and the three dogs came up the day after Boxing Day for a couple of nights. It was manic, it was chaotic, it was noisy but it was lots of fun!

I won’t share every single thing we did over Christmas – I’d be here all day – but here are our highlights:

The aftermath of the present opening

Boxes and toys everywhere! Thankfully, we had planned ahead and not bought anything that needed assembling or a million batteries.

My Present

Graham and I haven’t bought each other Christmas presents since we had Harrison, but this year we decided to buy each other a gift. I got him a Welsh rugby shirt which I knew he wanted and he bought me a bottle of this which I’ve wanted forever!

Our first Christmas dinner

This was our first Christmas on our own, so the first Christmas dinner we have ever cooked. It was a joint effort – Graham did the actual cooking, but I prepped all the veg, the pigs in blankets and made the bread sauce, stuffing and gravy. We did pretty damn good!

A Play on the Beach

One thing I’ve always wanted to do was go for a walk and a play on the beach on Christmas Day – we have finally managed it! It was lovely to burn off some of the calories from dinner and get some fresh air but it was cut short when Benjamin decided to sit down in a puddle and give himself a bath!

The second Christmas

We had my parents, brother and sister in law (Kim from Life of an Auntie) come up for a couple of days. Six adults, three children and three big dogs in a three-bed bungalow meant lots of noise and tripping over feet but it was brilliant.

More food – just what everyone didn’t need!

We had a (big) buffet lunch followed by a Christmas dinner in the evening. I think we were all stuffed to bursting point, but that’s the fun of Christmas, right?

A Family Photo

On Wednesday we went to Llandudno for a few hours before my brother and Kim had to go home. We introduced them to the beauty that is the Great Orme, where we managed to get a photo of us all. It’s a real shame that my other brother and sister in law weren’t here – they live in Suffolk so it’s a bit far for them. One day we will get a photo of all of us, especially as I’ve now bought a tripod!

A walk and a hot chocolate

I nicked this photo off my dad – on Thursday we went for a walk along the promenade and down to our favourite cafe on the harbour for a hot chocolate. It was absolutely freezing cold – the sand had a layer of frost on it! It was beautiful and sunny, though, and the perfect end to a lovely Christmas.

So there’s a little snapshot into our Christmas. This is my final post of 2016, so I want to wish all my readers a very happy new year, and a huge thanks for all your support this year. Have a good one!