Due to a myriad of winter colds, Christmas was a gentle affair in our house…

…but a happy, cosy, sparkly one…

…Munchkin especially seemed to get into the spirit of it, she loved opening her presents and her stocking…

…and we had some pretty special meals…

…including a breakfast of smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, festive brioche, croissants, panettone and Champagne…

…a supper of beef and dauphinoise potatoes, and a boxing day brunch of pancakes, smoked bacon, birch syrup and blueberries, and played plenty of games…

…we took walks with new Christmas presents…

…and sang carols in church…

Once you have children, Christmas seems to take on a new meaning – in many ways – it’s about their fun and their experiences, more than yours, and of course there’s the inevitable family colds which always seem to strike on the 23 Dec. It can be hard to adjust to going from child to parent, to being the ones in the kitchen rather than ones waiting for the people in the kitchen. It can be strange packing stockings and creeping around the house in the middle of the night, rather than feeling that delicious weighty feeling on the end of your own bed on Christmas morning.  This Christmas, more than ever, felt like one that was about a shift in status, about being more concerned about someone else’s experiences than your own. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just one of the many adjustments you have to make when you have children. As always, it’s about learning new ways to be, and making your own new traditions, as a family, whatever that might look like.

“It’s true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you’ll find you’ve created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul.”