Christmas in our House

I just finished icing the Christmas cakes.I made two cakes and two puddings, one of each is going to S.Billy and DIL Janice who are having us over for Christmas dinner.Getting out Christmas day is very dependent on the condition of the roads as I cannot imagine there will be any gritting or salting being done.
My Christmas tree surrounded by the Secret Santa bags. We do Secret Santa each year as with 8 children and their respective partners and 16 grandchildren the cost of buying presents was going through the roof! Each of us now buys for one child and one adult with a limit of 50e for a child and 30e for an adult, D.Michelle takes on the onerous task of picking the names and matching them each year.The road conditions have meant some have not been able to deliver their presents up to my house or collect as yet, so my sitting room is a bit cluttered!
My very uncoordinated Tree especially for niece Catherine!100 multicoloured lights which play a selection of 24 Christmassy tunes, baubles some of which are years old and some things made by the children over the years.Yards of gold tinsel to finish it off! Christmas is for memories not colour coordination!
A stocking made by S.Barry when he began school, dated 1994, tatty cotton wool etc but he checks the tree every year to see if it is still there!
Empty yogurt carton bell made by Godson Ryan again in his first year in school, he is now 13 years old.
Loo roll Angel again from Ryan, this is a very mischievous looking Angel!
The hallway, on the radiator cover is a small fat Santa which I brought back from a Christmas market in Brussels about 10 years ago and next to him is a handmade glass votive holder which came for Prague about 4 years ago.Two of my daughters, Kathryn & Michelle and myself went to the Christmas market there, its as cold here now as it was over there in central Europe!
The little Christmas tree on the left is Douglas Fir, with batteries in he sings and talks!When some of the children were still living at home he used to scare the daylights out of them. I would leave him switched on and as he has a motion sensor as they were trying to sneak in late at night Douglas would shout 'What time is it, its Christmas Time and launch into a song!
My Nativity is newish, bought about 3 years ago.Its tin and very stylised,I think it is meant to be of Russian style.
Fireplace with ye old Christmas stockings!Various candles and figures have been around for years too.Ann if you are reading this your little Christmas chicken is on the right of the mantlepiece.
I like my 'old' decorations and they are put away each year and I look forward to seeing them again like old friends!

Comments

Catherine said…
Hi Peggy, a lovely Christmas house indeed. we are here with no water so it is going to be a challenging one with all the family here! We have the tree up but I am still busy with gift wrapping - I am a bit taken with your Secret Santa idea as it is a bit costly but we are still doing it the old way! Have my cakes baked but not yet iced - guilty as charged, will end up doing it on Christmas Eve as usual! Anyway, I am working right up to and on Christmas Eve so I haven't a lot of time!
Have a wonderful Christmas and thanks for all the blog comments on my blog over the year. I hope you click comment notification as I reply to each and every comment as far as I can!
Catherine.
I hope you get to celebrate with all your family Peggy.
I love your Christmas cakes - reminds me of the one my mum used to make when we were kids. I wonder if she still has all the little plastic figures that went on the time. Something much more charming about cakes iced like this than the perfectly smooth ones made using fondant roll. The more snow peaked the better in my book and I love the crunch it makes as you cut into the cake :o)
Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2011
Kathleen said…
Well you are certainly ready for Christmas everything looks great!Hope you get to Billy and Janice safely for the dinner,love the designated drinker idea!Stick to it!Talk soon!
Anonymous said…
It all looks lovely... but I am glad I can't hear the lights! ;-D
OneStonedCrow said…
Compliments of the season to you Peggy - may you have a great time surrounded by your loved ones.
Peggy said…
Catherine,sorry to hear you have no water, a lot of areas here are the same, so far so good for us.The Secret Santa works well as the child gets to pick usually from the Argos or Smyths catalogue so getting something they really want.
Have a great Christmas and stay blogging!

Nic, my plastic figures are put away each year but some have disappeared so I am down to 2.Its the only way I can ice the cake but I do agree with you about the crunch,I call it the snow effect icing!
Happy Christmas and New year to you in the frozen north!

Kathleen, hoping for a slight thaw at least for Christmas day but Billy will collect us anyway and I am sticking to my designated drinkerpoor Billy wont be able to have a drink until we get safely home!

Catherineryanhoward, even I cant stand them and they get turned off after one turn, you press Santa's belt buckle 3 times for silence!
Peggy said…
OneStonedCrow, many happy returns of the season to you and yours, I have been visiting your blog for some sunshine!
PeggyR said…
Everything looks wonderful! I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas!

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