That Christmas Feeling ...

When I was younger, the measure of a good weekend was how often I had gone out. These days the opposite seems to be true. When it's cold and dreary and the town is swarming with shoppers, there is nothing I like better than being holed up at home. I think this is the first weekend in months where nothing needed to be done (well I say nothing, putting to one side the million or so Christmas preparations that kept me up all night last night worrying about them). A weekend of choosing what we should do and not having things forced upon us. A couple of days of quiet amidst the madness.



On Saturday afternoon, with a still poorly Big Sister, I chose to sit down with the girls, make a fire, watch a film of their choice and enjoy the moment. It was Little Sister's call so we watched "Pride and Prejudice", yes, even my little one is an Austen fan.



An occasion that necessitated the wearing of ballet shoes and keeping your feet pointed up in the air all afternoon, according to Little Sister. Whilst I kept my feet firmly on the ground, my heart was all a flutter at seeing Mr Firth again, the ONLY Mr Darcy in this house! I have to admit that there is a bit of War of the Roses going on in this house - just who does Mr Firth belong to? Me, Big sister or, well I was going to say Little Sister, but she surprised us all last week by telling us just how handsome Dr Who was. Many a meal time has been spent squabbling with my eldest and I have found myself in the uneviable situation of being Mr Firth's mother-in-law, which makes me Mrs Bennet!!!!!!!!!



Not sure he would like my choice of cake today, for some strange reason I had to buy some fondant fancies, their sweetness and sugary colours were just what I needed. I haven't had one of these since I was pregnant when I craved them all the time. Scarily enough, I'm sure Mrs Bennet would like them though.



So Sunday morning had been earmarked as "putting up the Christmas tree/moving all the furniture/finding the Christmas lights/ last minute bright idea to redecorate/sisterly fighting over who puts the angel on the tree/ losing the will to live" time. Mr Roses comes to the rescue by deciding to go out and buy a new tree that will fit an existing space already, without any furniture moving or painting. Two hours later after about ten phone calls he seems to have tracked down the perfect one, only to find it being wrapped up behind his back and sold to somebody else whilst he is on the phone to me in delight .... Another hour on he returns home laden with a different tree and very bored Little Sister.



The decorations and lights are fetched from the loft and the fun begins. This is one of my favourite times of Christmas, the sign that the holidays have truly begun. A time when the baubles are literally thrown on the tree, Big Sister, because of her lurgy, is allowed to put the angel on top this year, the cats sit in the corner rubbing their paws together in glee imagining all the fun they'll be having each night when they're left alone to play volleyball with the decorations ... And all of this accompanied by Mr Crosby in the background, as much a part of our Christmas as everything else.



Yesterday evening, after Little Sister's school play, I indulged myself one more time. I'd bought the "White Christmas" DVD and we watched it around the fire, eating doughnuts, tree lights sparkling and dare I say it, to quote Bing "it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas ...."