So now, Kizzy is busy rehearsing her Christmas play..."Primary School Christmas Musical"...which makes me realise just how speedily the festive season is hurtling towards us!
At Christmas, I like to have an angle, a theme, a hook if you were, upon which to form my festivities around. We had the "Caring, Sharing Christmas" with charity presents...I received a chicken toy to represent a real live chicken that was sent to a third world family on my behalf. I hope it laid many eggs for them! We had the "Pagan Yule" where we made pentagrams out of twigs and a real Yule log. We hung dried fruits on the tree and reconnected with Mother Earth. We had the "Tight Christmas" where we spent minimal money and had the economy frozen Vegetarian Christmas Dinner. We've done the "Centre Parcs Stay Away for Christmas" staying in a lodge in the woodland and swimming in the outside pool on Christmas Day. That was actually amazing. The steam off the warm water as it met the frigid air, made for a unique swimming experience. It reminded me of those Japanese Snow Monkeys who laze around in the warm pools as the snow falls around them!
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| Picture sourced via Google Images. |
So this year, I'm trying to get a direction for my planning. I know it will be hugely fun this year, Freddy will be of an age where he'll be into everything. I'm sure the tree will be pulled down several times and baubles will be used as footballs or projectiles. Wrapping paper will be strewn all around and the tins of choccies will be raided! I'll be finding half sucked Celebration sweeties stuck to the sofa for weeks. He is going to love it though, that's for sure. We haven't had a toddler in the house for a good few years now, so seeing Fred in a little Santa suit causing mischief will be wonderful!
My eldest daughter Megan will be spending some quality time at home us this year. Now she is a free agent, she doesn't need to share her free time from university with anyone else. I'm looking forward to having her all to ourselves again! She loves coming home and is a real foodie! She loves good homemade veggie fayre and so perhaps this can be the year of the gastronomical Christmas!
Usually, I have my eldest son Joe home...although he does eat vegetarian food, you just know he is craving a juicy steak! This makes cooking for him quite galling! He doesn't like fancy food at all...be it vegetarian or carnivorous, so for the last few years, I've had to make a second dinner especially for him. He does, however, love Quorn Roast, and will consume a whole one singlehandedly. So I have to juggle cooking for him with trying to make something for the rest of us, usually a simple nut roast or a chestnut pie. However, this year, he's spending Christmas with his girlfriend's family. He'll get to do the whole traditional roast turkey thing for the first time in years, so I know he'll be happy. And I'll be free to concentrate on cooking a sensationally complicated Vegetarian Feast without worrying about catering for fussy eaters! Mmmm...I think this may definitely be the direction to go. A Festive Foodie Fiesta!!! So, it's time to dig out the recipe books and get googling some new adventurous veggie dishes to inspire and excite me and give the family a delicious dinner!
