Why is it all fabulous?

On Friday morning, my husband told me he just realized this is our first Christmas with the family coming home! 
Martin caught a train after work on Friday and arrived just before 10pm. Whitney and Corbyn arrived about 6:30 Saturday night!  Such excitement.....

Thursday was the last time this year Corbyn went to his childminder.  I always pick him up on Thursdays to take him home, apart from last week when I forgot!  We had a lovely detour after leaving Karen's, all her neighbourhood is lit up and decorated for Christmas.  Corbyn loved looking at all the lights and he asked "Why is it all fabulous?".  I love little kids, they have such a way with words.

When I moved to Scotland 26 years ago, no one put up lights outside their house.  Coming from the US, I found the dark houses so odd and unfestive.  Through the years, things have become brighter and more decorated!  I think it is very much an American influence.  When we moved to Alloway, loads of families there worked for Digital or other American businesses. They would travel from the US to Ireland or to Scotland.  As a result, the lights for Christmas and Jack O'Lanterns for Halloween became more popular.  There was one family around the corner from us who really decorated their house.  I stopped and asked them once why, they explained they had been based in Boston for years and just loved all the Christmas decorations. Last year, they did not decorate.  I can only guess they either moved or got too old for the effort.  This year, the house next door looked like they had inherited all the decorations from their neighbour.  However it happened, the street looks better for their effort!

I attended what I hope is the last Christmas party of the year, for me anyway.  It was at my other employer.  I work 2 part time jobs doing exactly the same thing in both, but the procedures and personalities of the different offices is so different.  This can be extremely confusing sometimes. But this party was very nice, in the office, complete with Secret Santa!  Whoever got my name apparently knew me pretty well.  I got 2 vanilla candles and two cupcakes shakers.  Where you can put sprinkles in and decorate your cupcakes.  They were all laughing at me when I was trying to get them out of the box and then they began talking about Calendar Girls.  You decide - why did that movie come up???!!!

On Friday our new manager has brought in lunch for us before we are set free at 1pm. How nice of her.  Then a bit of mad shopping before going home to put the final touches in the bedrooms for our "guests"!

Alan and I thought we would have a rather easy weekend because we thought we had everything down to a fine science after doing this sort of thing for over a quarter of a century.  On Saturday, we did go into ASDA for some last minute items, including a 50th birthday gift for a friend.....but nothing we couldn't live without if we had not gone there.  We had hoped to go to St Columba Church for the candlelight service, but Corbyn was just too wound up when he came back from spending the day with his daddy, so we really didn't do much, and should have done more to prepare for today's dinner......

I was lucky though, with Corbyn staying in bed long enough this morning to put the turkey in the oven and make my cranberry sauce before we had to stop everything and go open presents!

This year, Corbyn was much more interested and opened most of his gifts before he got tired of it all.  He started with a little bicycle and was delighted with everything. The best part though, was when Santa appeared!  Corbyn was not sure about him, but did manage to force himself to accept the gift he gave him.  He then realized his uncle was not in the room and wanted him to see Santa too. Of course, Santa left too quickly for Martin to see him when he returned to the living room.  The only thing we could figure was that the sign they put up last night only asked Santa to stop at this house for Corbyn, it never mentioned Martin!!!

All of us enjoyed our gifts.  It was a bit shocking, Alan and I decided to not go overboard this year, but it still felt like too much.  How is it possible to cut back when there are so many fabulous things to buy people! 

Alan and I then got busy in the kitchen and worked much harder than I ever remember.  And I messed up the turkey timing, we also broke a glass that exploded all over the kitchen floor and I almost impaled my middle finger on the very sharp knife Alan was using.  Plus my knee twisted yesterday and is really sore. 

Eventually, we all sat down together and had a lovely dinner, got sleepy, watched clips from Martin's work and generally relaxed.  Corbyn went away to spend some time with his daddy and I thought we could shut down for awhile.  Silly me, with a house full of people, we had to chat and make sure everyone had dessert and coffee.....everything....all up to Alan and me. 

I honestly do not remember struggling and being so tired and busy the entire day of Christmas.  What has changed?  Did we get more relaxed and forget what it takes to keep 6 - 8 people fed and entertained? Either way, it was hard and I wonder what we will do next year?

Oh I also failed to mention that Whitney is in need of a break - it is so hard being a single mom. So I asked her to stay here for the week while I am off work.  with Corbyn of course!  With all the best intentions and lots of love, I think this is going to be a long week!