From debt to freedom...

Honeysucklelou2

Janb5- That must have been so hard to watch - thinking of you.

I worked yesterday evening...it was the weirdest shift, so very quiet. In the past I’ve worked on Christmas Eve and it’s been so busy every table has been booked and a really buoyant atmosphere. Not last night - it was quite sombre really. My boss kept saying it didn’t feel like Christmas.

I have been blessed with children who don’t and have never woken at some unearthly hour to open stockings!  So far, the younger DCs were up at 8.15 ish to open their stockings and have been playing together ever since🙂. The teenagers and DD1 are still sleeping. The turkey is in the oven and all is relaxed🙂.

🎄 Merry Christmas one and all 🎄

Sun_Addict

Merry Christmas, hope it’s been a good day for you and your DCs x🎄Definitely not the same this year, let’s hope next year will be back to normal. My kids have never been early risers either thank goodness.

savingholmes

Hope you had a great day. Great news on tax refund. 

Cherryfudge

How lovely to have Camellias in flower! There is a beauty in a neighbour's garden but no sign of blossom yet: I have a viburnum which has delightfully scented flowers throughout the cold months, though, which I thoroughly enjoy.

I hope you Christmas Day was enjoyed by all - and I'm so pleased you could spend it with DD1!

@janb5, I'm sure your children's qualities aren't solely attributable to your ex! There can be a tendency for memorials to be rose-tinted, but time will give people plenty of opportunities to see how they resemble you.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SA, SH & Cherryfudge. Yes, I had a wonderful day yesterday. My parents are in the same county / tier so were able to be here too. We found some Christmas carols from the area of the county I grew up in, on YouTube of all places, so had a happy morning listening to the words and music which evoked many happy memories🙂. 

We listen to the Queen and then open presents together. We do this in such a way that presents are delivered one at a time and we watch that person open it, so that each gift is appreciated. It can take some time to get through but much laughter accompanies this time😁. 

In the afternoon, we also had chance to video chat with a family member who lives abroad, so good to see them and be able to hear their voice.

As the children get older, it is rarer to have them all in the same place at the same time which makes the times that this does happen,  doubly precious. DD3 gave me a framed photo that they had taken while I was at work one evening, of all of them together. They’d had to do it selfie style with DS1 taking the shot as he was tallest but just so lovely to have a photo with everyone on it!! 

I didn’t go overboard on food this year and kept it quite simple which worked well. The evening was spent playing Cluedo and watching a film, a lovely, relaxing end to the day.  

Cherryfudge

That sounds like a lovely Christmas Day. We open presents in the same way and I agree I much prefer it to a free-for-all.
Having a photo with everyone in it is precious. As you know, we also struggle to get everyone together - I did a screen shot of our family zoom then stupidly forgot to save it (duh!) but everyone has sent pictures of their Christmas to others so we do have photos aplenty.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you Cherryfudge.

Today has been a lazy day. I’ve used some left over turkey and cooked some fresh vegetables for tea which went down well. The younger DCs have been enjoying their Christmas gifts. I have lost count of how many rounds  of Cluedo have been played as well as a couple of games of Scrabble. It’s been lovely to feel able to relax.

DD1 and I went out for a walk, my usual Sunday figure of 8 walk. It was good to feel the breeze in our faces as we strolled along. To my amazement I saw the first primroses out. We are usually quite early with the timings of plants flowering but I don’t recall seeing primroses this early before. My new wellies were much more comfortable and importantly waterproof, than my old wellies, so the walk could be completed with dry feet!

This evening I have enjoyed watching a few Morecambe &Wise clips on DVD and introducing DD2 to their unique comedy. I was scheduled to work this evening but it is so quiet, particularly with new tier regulations kicking in, that I wasn’t needed, so an unexpected night off!

The wind is sounding very wild outside. We have to drive along a twisty wooded road for about 3 or 4 miles to get to the next village, so hoping that the trees remain standing as the twistiness of the road means you can’t always see any hazards until you are almost on top of them.

savingholmes

Glad you had a relaxing time. Playing board games can be great fun - and memory making. Glad you got a photo of all your kids together. My mum was thrilled as I took some photos she wasn't aware of yesterday and sent them to her. She'd forgotten in the busyness of the day.

Sun_Addict

How lovely to get a photo of everyone together. Morecambe and Wise reminds me of my mum, she used to be in fits of laughter watching them. Glad you had a lovely Christmas Day, we open our presents one at a time too. Far better than a free for all frenzy when you don’t know who’s bought what.

Honeysucklelou2

Thank you SA and SH.  

I didn’t sleep well last night. I think it was the combination of the wind blowing and then getting up and doing budgets in the early hours. Not a good recipe for sleep!  I felt quite unsettled about job no 2 in terms of what will happen now that we are in a stricter tier, so couldn’t fully complete  the budget as my income fluctuates with the amount of hours worked, rather than a set amount. It turns out that a decision has been made today to close and staff to be furloughed for the time being. I feel so sorry for owners of small businesses, trying to navigate the rules and having to decide whether to stay open and risk running at a loss or closing completely until  the rules change.

DD1, the younger DCs and I went for a walk today - a nice 3 mile circular route that is a mix of lanes and fields. It was quite boggy in some sections of the field which made for some interesting manoeuvres!  It was good to get out,  especially in the top fields where the wind blew any cobwebs away.

The lack of sleep did catch up with me this afternoon so I confess to having a nap. DD1 has been a star and cracked on with tea. I hope this evening will consist of reading and not a lot else!