its nearly Christmas -a thread dedicated to the angst, the drama, & the joy!

[5ofus]

But then I am reminded that there are so many children who have had/do have worse childhoods than myself and it makes me really sad. I don't kid myself that I had it as bad as many.
2:

This is why I really want to be a Foster mum when the boys get a bit older.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

5ofus - that would be such an awesome thing to do.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

After bringing the thread down into a depressing area I've decided it's my civic duty to bring the mood right back up.

One of my favourite Christmas Carols is Deck the Halls. I love this Glee version which is sung to the beat of All the Single Ladies.

Imagine my joy when I discovered this Youtube video of an ordinary family dancing along to it. It is seriously the funniest thing ever. The men in the family are very "theatrical". Hahaha. It's 7 siblings and they appear to own a Christmas Tree farm or something. The tacky Christmas "sweaters" alone are worth watching it for.

This will give you a big belly laugh I promise:-

http://youtu.be/ISJvrOezu3Q

My advice is press pause and let the full video load before watching, it takes a while to load.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

After bringing the thread down into a depressing area I've decided it's my civic duty to bring the mood right back up.

One of my favourite Christmas Carols is Deck the Halls. I love this Glee version which is sung to the beat of All the Single Ladies.

Imagine my joy when I discovered this Youtube video of an ordinary family dancing along to it. It is seriously the funniest thing ever. The men in the family are very "theatrical". Hahaha. It's 7 siblings and they appear to own a Christmas Tree farm or something. The tacky Christmas "sweaters" alone are worth watching it for.

This will give you a big belly laugh I promise:-

http://youtu.be/ISJvrOezu3Q

My advice is press pause and let the full video load before watching, it takes a while to load.

That was so funny. Thanks Ms Shuttergirl for some Christmas cheer!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Awwwww you girls are gonna make me have a little cry. Thank you for all the warm fuzzies . I really appreciate it.

Traditions at times like Christmas are hugely important for children. The year after the "fire" it was Christmas eve, I was 5 and my brother was 15 and he was stuck at home babysitting me while my parents were, you guessed it, at the pub. There was no Christmas tree at all. We lived on the Gold Coast in a rental across from the beach and my brother ran across the road and pulled out a small "pine" tree that night and came home and we cut up a Target bag, do you remember the paper target bags that had the red cirles on them. We hung the red circles on the tree as decorations.

Again as a parent looking back at those children, I am so saddened that any child would spend a Christmas eve like that. I don't feel so much sad for myself, but more as a parent looking at a child having those experiences and thinking how awful.

But then I am reminded that there are so many children who have had/do have worse childhoods than myself and it makes me really sad. I don't kid myself that I had it as bad as many.

I know how important putting up a Christmas tree is and how important doing simple tasks with the kids are, year after year because I didn't have it. Traditions, however boring, give children the feeling of stability and safety. My friends often tease me about how "over the top" I am at Christmas and boy there are times when I curse myself for creating all of these yearly traditions. Sometimes they feel like a noose around my neck as our lives get busier and busier but I still make time for them and try to live in the moment when they are happening because I genuinely know that they are the things that confident, well balanced grown ups are made of. I am none of those things but I sure hope my efforts result in those qualities in my children.

When I was growing up I spent alot of time watching old movies. You know the classics like White Christmas with Bing Crosby, anything Doris Day, Judy Garland, those sweet classics. I escaped alot into movies and wanted that picture postcard existence. Of course it's not real but my favourites were always the Christmas movies. Many dreams were born from watching those movies. So once I was a mother and able to create magical Christmas's I tried my very hardest. As the children get older I know some things will have to fall by the wayside, but many things will stay the same and my kids will always look forward to them. And when they have their own children and start creating their own traditions, wow won't that be an amazing thing.

Gosh I didn't mean to get so mushy and philosophical about Christmas, this is supposed to be a stress relieving thread . Soapbox drama over people. On to the fun stuff.

Christmas this year - I have a few things put aside for the kids that we will take away with us and DD14 has mentioned she would like to forego tradition Christmas items for clothes and shopping. DS10 who is my "believer" will be happy with whatever I'm sure. It will be a little more complicated to make the magic happen but make the magic happen I will.

Me - I would like to shop for some new sunglasses, perfume and watch. I would also like a new engagement ring but DH doesn't seem as keen as me on that one so I'll likely just settle for the sunglasses

My DH left the defence force after 20 years last year and whilst I have great childhood memories of Christmas with both sides of family living nearby I felt it was really important to give our girls at least one time of the year which was normal not matter where we were, whether on the road moving again, at home or with family and whether dad was home or not.

So they get new PJ's to open on Christmas Eve and we bake my Grandma's Christmas cake which is apparently really nice (I dont do fruit cake). From decorating the tree, to baking, their stockings the traditions are really important and I think it just may be why they wont confess to not believing. I do really love the magic although sadly this year will probably be the last with believers. DD13 dropped and smashed her ipod a few weeks ago so we shall get her a new one, Kindle for DD10 and then some other bits and pieces. DH and I shall get our trip. My parents are coming up from down south to spend a week with us over Christmas and leaving with the children for a couple of weeks. I am a lucky girl.

 

[5ofus]

This will give you a big belly laugh I promise:-

http://youtu.be/ISJvrOezu3Q

My advice is press pause and let the full video load before watching, it takes a while to load.

I would pay good money to get my brothers to dance like that

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

That was so funny. Thanks Ms Shuttergirl for some Christmas cheer!

It truly is hilarious isn't it.

My DH left the defence force after 20 years last year and whilst I have great childhood memories of Christmas with both sides of family living nearby I felt it was really important to give our girls at least one time of the year which was normal not matter where we were, whether on the road moving again, at home or with family and whether dad was home or not.

So they get new PJ's to open on Christmas Eve and we bake my Grandma's Christmas cake which is apparently really nice (I dont do fruit cake). From decorating the tree, to baking, their stockings the traditions are really important and I think it just may be why they wont confess to not believing. I do really love the magic although sadly this year will probably be the last with believers. DD13 dropped and smashed her ipod a few weeks ago so we shall get her a new one, Kindle for DD10 and then some other bits and pieces. DH and I shall get our trip. My parents are coming up from down south to spend a week with us over Christmas and leaving with the children for a couple of weeks. I am a lucky girl.

Sounds like you have lots of absolutely wonderful traditions that you enjoy with your girls. We do the new Christmas jammies too, I love how cute they look all scrubbed clean with wet hair in their new jammies. I take photos of them every Christmas eve in them and those photos always make me smile.

I love fruit cake but I can't make it to save myself. Shame you don't like it and get to enjoy your own baking.

Sounds like this Christmas will be wonderful, esp with your family coming to visit, and wow, 2 weeks without the children too. What ever will you do with yourself.

I would pay good money to get my brothers to dance like that

.

 

[australiankaren]

Re pub crawl....hopefully we find a few near the rocks......down by the harbor would be great....DH suggested we get a hotel for Xmas night so we could spend Xmas day by a pool......we just need some space...

Nothing beats sipping a good Aussie chardy by the water on a hot day wearing rain deer antlers

 

[battymum]

Come to my place - we have a pool......and chardy!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Re pub crawl....hopefully we find a few near the rocks......down by the harbor would be great....DH suggested we get a hotel for Xmas night so we could spend Xmas day by a pool......we just need some space...

Nothing beats sipping a good Aussie chardy by the water on a hot day wearing rain deer antlers

A hotel near the harbour for Christmas night - that sounds lovely. I'd have to be sipping champers by the water, not chardy but other than that small change, everything else sounds heaven.

I'm sure your reindeer antlers will be a show stopper.

 

[australiankaren]

BTW do you know how hard it is to find a hotel in the city with an outdoor pool thats under $400 a night????

so maybe we'll have a maccas breaky on the way to the domain, park for $10 and toddle down to the gardens for a nice lunch/ afternoon tea/dinner....I have a granny wheely shopping bag so can load that up with rug and food....

take my kindle and read for a few hours sipping wine, snacking on chips, chocolates and meat pies whilst hanging with my favorite man...ahhhh paradise

now all I have to do now is break it to my family

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

BTW do you know how hard it is to find a hotel in the city with an outdoor pool thats under $400 a night????

so maybe we'll have a maccas breaky on the way to the domain, park for $10 and toddle down to the gardens for a nice lunch/ afternoon tea/dinner....I have a granny wheely shopping bag so can load that up with rug and food....

take my kindle and read for a few hours sipping wine, snacking on chips, chocolates and meat pies whilst hanging with my favorite man...ahhhh paradise

now all I have to do now is break it to my family

Karen, nooooooooooooooooo. I liked your original plan. Definitely have a quick breakky at home, definitely have a lovely lunch with a few chardy's in the gardens, kindle and snacks. But then I beg you to please do a nice dinner and stay in a nice hotel room

 

[australiankaren]

Karen, nooooooooooooooooo. I liked your original plan. Definitely have a quick breakky at home, definitely have a lovely lunch with a few chardy's in the gardens, kindle and snacks. But then I beg you to please do a nice dinner and stay in a nice hotel room

i agree, but its so damn hard to find a hotel with outdoor pool......but i did find a 4.5 star at wotif..mystery hotel for $127..in the CBD...do you think I should do it...indoor pool though

this time next year I'm getting a pool even if its an above ground that i have to dig the hole myself to put it in

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

i agree, but its so damn hard to find a hotel with outdoor pool......but i did find a 4.5 star at wotif..mystery hotel for $127..in the CBD...do you think I should do it...indoor pool though

this time next year I'm getting a pool even if its an above ground that i have to dig the hole myself to put it in

Does the pool have to be "outdoor". What is the cheapest you can find for outdoor pool hotel?

I think it would be worth a little splurge if you love outdoor.

 

[australiankaren]

Does the pool have to be "outdoor". What is the cheapest you can find for outdoor pool hotel?

I think it would be worth a little splurge if you love outdoor.

I just want to work on my tan.....I miss WDW pools

will sleep on it and do it tomorrow .....

 

[australiankaren]

just booked a hotel in the cbd for $127.....walking distance from darling harbour...great deal thru wotif...for xmas night

happy now

 

[australiankaren]

just booked a hotel in the cbd for $127.....walking distance from darling harbour...great deal thru wotif...for xmas night

happy now

so now just booked Nicks seafood rest at cockle bay for dinner christmas night.....so excited..the seafood platter for 2 looks fantastic

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

That's great Karen. Well done

 

[Marlea98]

I've decided that Father Christmas can leave me a pair of the Peter Alexander Bambi 3/4 length pjs . We finally have a store of our own up here

 

[5ofus]

Geez Louise, only two months to go! So far my kids are getting some Disney stuff and not much else. I still have a load of kids to buy for....