Well, that’s a wrap on Christmas 2020, the Christmas that will always stand out in our minds as the one celebrated in the middle of a global pandemic. It never was going to be the same as Christmas we know and love, but as the girls were SO aware of Christmas this year and so excited, we made a conscious effort to just plough through and make it the most magical time possible, for them. And that, we did.
As we approached Christmas I threw myself into covering the house in decorations, if we can’t go out we’ll have a festive wonderland at home – maybe going a little extra than previous years. I have always wanted outside lights so trundled off to the garden centre to buy a set, then realised I was too scared to go up the ladder to hang them! Thank goodness V was able to brave the ladder as the house looked fab. I’ve made a pact with myself to buy one outside light/decoration each year so watch this space for next years addition!
During December, the government announced a 5-day window for Christmas to see family – so we made plans with a few family members and close friends and ordered a LOT of food in. I felt like as we couldn’t go out and do Christmassy days out, I was making allowances for buying extra food and decorations, so I admit – I went a bit overboard….. Then, just when we were all set to go, the government announced the rules had changed yet again to allow us to see relatives only on Christmas Day, with the further announcement we’d go into Tier 4 (the toughest restrictions) straight after – so we had a stressful time trying to plan our one day and that meant inevitably upsetting and disappointing people along the way, as well as having a huge food order that couldn’t be changed. First world problems about the food, but I didn’t want anything to go to waste. It was a stressful time, especially with the anxiety of the raising COVID numbers, but we did the best we could within the restrictions, but it was sad knowing we couldn’t most of our family and friends.
Something that kept me busy in the run-up to Christmas was project Fish Tank. Violet had been asking about a fish tank – specifically a ‘mermaid tank’ since June, so we knew we couldn’t ‘t escape this one. What was meant to be a basic tank with a goldfish soon turned into a tropical tank with a colourful array of fish, all hidden behind a stack of boxes in our bedroom. It’s amazing we managed to keep it a secret but I’m so pleased we did as her little face on Christmas Day was a picture! The girls are now the proud owners of 12 fish, with names including Daves (x2), Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Owlette, Cat Boy, Gecko and Ladybird. We took the girls to the aquatic shop to buy the final fish – 4 Neon Tetras, Violet was fascinated with bringing them home in their bag and loves taking care of them feeding them every day. It’s turned into a great hobby to help her learn about caring for others and I’m enjoying the tank too!
On Christmas eve the girls were more excited than ever before. It was the first year Pearl really understood Christmas and the excitement hit peak at bedtime when it was time to lay down the plate for Santa and his reindeer. Pearl was singing ‘King Kong bells’ (her version of jingle bells) and the girls danced around the room to Christmas tunes – I had an emotional moment as it’s things like this you dream about before you have children and just being there surrounded by Christmas magic brought a tear to my eye.
When we woke up the next morning, Santa had been! Although we aimed for a small Christmas with little gifts, the room was soon filled with present unwrapping chaos, scraps of wrapping paper and squeals of excitement. I feel like you’ve made it as a Mum when you bring in a bin bag for wrapping paper on Christmas day, that’s goals, right.
Later that day my parents came over – we hadn’t seen them since August, so it was a huge surprise for the girls who were so excited! It was a bit strange trying to socially distance within the house and with your own family, but we made it work… even if that meant not having a proper Christmas dinner table, instead we ate dotted around the room, which is something I’m sure we’ll laugh about one day.
All in all, we had a lovely day…. even if we did plummet straight into Tier 4 at the strike of midnight…. we were so stuffed with cheese, profiteroles and quality street we couldn’t move from our house if we wanted to anyway!
It wasn’t quite the Christmas that we know and love, but it was magical for the children – and that is all that counts.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas – what did your day look like?
