Well....how did it go?

FatVonD

We were woken up at about 8.30am by my DS, went downstairs and opened pressies, he was thrilled with his new cruiser skateboard. Ended up not making the muffins/scrambled egg/smoked salmon combo so may have that today instead.

DH collected 2 of his 3 kids at 11am and we did more present opening when they arrived, DSS was thrilled with his guitar amp and DSD with her posh handbag.

Lunch went really well, I was calm, washed up what I could as I went along and it was all ready on time. Our Iceland 3 bird roast (so jealous of your extra bird, Ilona!), which was a bit of an unknown quantity, was lovely. I forgot to take the pigs in blankets out of the oven and found them after dinner but it wasn't the end of the world.

Then it all started to go wrong...

I think I can safely say that alcohol is a trigger for my IBS because I then spent much of the afternoon on the toilet :0

By the time it was safe to come out it was time to start making sandwiches ready for the arrival of both sets of parents and BIL and SIL. The bread I'd defrosted which I thought would be nice for sandwiches (a tiger loaf) was really dry when defrosted and made the ugliest sandwiches (wish I'd just bought a nice neat sliced loaf.) Once we had 12 people (and extra chairs) in our tiny sitting room it was uncomfortably crowded which was made worse by people keep insisting on standing up and milling around.

The sandwiches were saved by my little paper cups of potato wedges on the side which everyone thought was a lovely idea (thank you Browns for the inspiration!) but unfortunately my mum then decided to discuss her itchy knicker line which prompted BIL and SIL to leave the room so more milling around.

Older DSS (who arrived with the inlaws) was thrilled with the recording mic we gave him which was left over from our failed business venture and didn't seem remotely offended that we hadn't bought it new.

Present wise I got:

Paperchase diary (I may change this to one of the ring bound ones with elastic that I prefer even though I love the pattern on this one.)

Rod Stewart autobiography (I knew I had this as DH used our clubcard when he bought it so it came up as a favourite when I did our online shop :rotfl: )

A dress that sadly doesn't fit which I will change for a couple of new pairs of black leggings which I desperately need

A glitzy top that's not me at all, will probably give to my mum

A pretty bracelet that's not me at all, will probably give to DSD

Money from my mum and dad which I will put towards my tax bill

Poppy9

My nap yesterday evening was a big mistake! I couldn't sleep last night and finally went to to sleep at 6.30am!!!!

1886

Christmas..

That time of the year you have to see the people you've spent the whole year trying to avoid

Mara69

My Christmas was lovely. It started with a very relaxed Christmas Eve, eating nibbles as opposed to a big cooked meal; home made sausage rolls (made by my husband), salad, bread and mini filled croissants washed down with red wine. The original Scrooge on the TV.

Christmas Day started early with myself and my husband enjoying an hour of quiet chatting before getting our (adult) son up at 7am. Everyone loved their gifts and then the we drifted though the day, with phone calls to family, comedy DVDs, a mouth wateringly fabulous dinner cooked by myself and my husband. This was followed by a nap, dessert, TV, chat, laughter and more red wine. Bed at midnight (son stayed up to play C.O.D with his mates online). A really lovely day - exactly how I had hoped it would be.

thehappybutterfly

I forgot to mention that my teenage daughter, who does not appreciate my cooking AT ALL, told me yesterday 'I love your special Xmas potatoes Mum' - I'm dead chuffed

vf - my cheesecake recipe. I'm happy to share it but can't take the credit as it's not my own!

Blueberry Cheesecake

225g smashed up digestive biscuits
115g butter
600g full fat soft cheese, i.e. Philly-type (and don't get the garlic and herb one like I did one year.... phew, that was a close one!)
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
175g caster sugar
200g creme fraiche
2 large eggs (free range of course!)
100g blueberries plus extra for decor

• Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3
• Lightly grease a 23cm loose-based tin and line the base with baking paper
• Melt the butter and mix in the crushed biscuits, transfer to the prepared tin and press down. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Mix the cheese, zest, juice and vanilla. Add the sugar and creme fraiche and mix well.
• Lightly beat the eggs and stir into the mix until well combined. Fold in the blueberries then pour over the biscuit base.
• Transfer the whole thing to a baking tray and bake for 50-60 minutes until just set. Middle of the oven. It needs to have a bit of colour on the top and you'll know it's ready.
• Leave to cool before removing from tin. That's the tricky bit! I had a disaster last year when I undid the clip on the tin while it was still warm and buttery and it flipped head over heels and landed face down, half on the plate and half on the worktop. It was the only pud we had so we scraped it up and did a make-up job with a palette knife!

It's thick, creamy and lemony and absolutely delicious!

It's leftovers today I'm afraid!!

gayleanne

FizzledOut wrote: »

I have truthfully been upset and tearful thinking about my first (and hopefully last) Christmas Day on my own. I adore Christmas, quiet time with family. Found out in Feb my husband (soon to be ex) had become besotted with a woman 20 years younger than me - he lives elsewhere on his own now, he's spent Christmas with his brother and his family. Our son booked a trip in May to be travelling through October to January. My parents are dead, my sisters have frenetic Christmases, friends have invited me to theirs but I couldn't bear to be playing happy families with other peoples families and thinking back to what I though were perfect Christmases before. I dreaded my lonely day but it's been pretty good! I walked my dog and a friends dog (she's away visiting family) through the wettest park there could be (!!) Snuggled up and watched TV with dogs with chocolate croissants and milky coffee, cooked slow roasted lamb with lots of veggies, ate around 4pm, snoozing and just letting the day float by ... I missed a call from my son while out with the dogs, but it's OK, he'll be home in two weeks or so. And chilled in front of TV all evening.

I've had some lovely gifts from dear friends. Calls and messages from family and friends letting me know I'm not "alone". It's not the Christmas I would have chosen, but, boy-o-boy, it could have been one heck of a lot worse! Feeling blessed with the lovely people in my life.

Sometimes you can have a family around you and you can still feel lonely, I hope that the new year brings you what you want.

Jinx

Very quiet festive time for me.....

Xmas Eve - collected the M&S dinner and delivered parcels/final cards. Had a cosy evening in with hubby (daughter at her dads)

Xmas day - got up at 10.30!!!! Thats a first, normally cook for 16 so up super early... but just us 3 this year Champagne all morning - M&S dinner in. Once daughter arrived home opened our pressies - dinner was late, got sidetracked by pressies! Very well done pigs in blankets. Spent the rest of the day with booze, chocs and hubby and daughter and new books.

Alone today, hubby and daughter working - its a jammy day traditionally and who I am to break tradition? Leftovers for dinner, LOVE a second xmas dinner. So on MSE, checking out the online sales and watching 'how to train your dragon' - how the other half lives! lol

gayleanne

Really we are all discussing our Christmas but the people that I truly feel sorry for all across the country, are the ones who have homes under feet of water, and are now in reception centers with only the clothes they are wearing, compared to them, we are all lucky, I have been watching the news where they are throwing out xmas presents still wrapped which are now, only good for the tip. Nothing can be as bad as that, especially as there homes are now uninhabitable for the next weeks or months.

But for the grace of God go I, luckily I live on top of the mountain not in a valley. A village just 3 miles away has been flooded for the past three years, at Christmas or new year time, most of them can not afford the insurance premiums of £6,000.00 then having to pay the first £20,000 excess. This is more than some of there houses are actually worth.

No matter what our Christmas has been like it can not be as bad as there's.

penelopedee_2

Hugs to everyone who didn't enjoy their day xx

Youngest was very good and waiting for my work alarm to go off (6.30am) before he asked to get up We did pressies early and Youngest didn't moan at all. He was brilliant and all the stress before was worth it.

Spent an hour up the local pub (traditional in our little village) as we get to meet all our friends parents and grand parents.

Then we had a huge lunch which DH sorted before watching TV. All in bed by 9pm - which was bliss. So nothing amazing just nice and cosy.

Today is always my worst day over Xmas, not sure what I hate it so much. Sent DH out with is friends for a couple of hours and Youngest and I watched movies all afternoon.

Just about to do a supper of left overs and potatoe wedges and pickle and stuff.

(Managed to find a nice bottle of fizz that I 'hid' yesterday too )

duchy

I've had the nicest Christmas in years

Woke up early and waited for son and friend who is staying at mine to wander round to BF's for cooked breakfast (cooked by him mostly) then I logged into work for a few hours (on phones but home based so I set everything up at BFs for Christmas) finished work and dinner was served. BF upset he'd forgotten to make the stuffing but everything was lovely -settled down and watched Dr Who on catch up after dinner and then all played Monopoly. I got a stack of gifts -and BF had even taken student son Christmas shopping as his grant hasn't come through yet-all nice stuff -and I felt incredibly spoilt-No cooking , no washing up and lots of pressies and no stress . Woke up early Boxing day , cleaned up the last of the washing up , took BF tea in bed and worked 8-4 on the phones-all the customers were lovely . BF was off visiting his family so ate leftovers and Thorntons chocs and am now snuggled on the sofa waiting for him to come back...... and a chilled evening. Maybe not exciting but I've throughly enjoyed it....Oh and Biscotti Baileys is to die for !