Christmas where YOU are - shared page

The first person to share with me how they will celebrate Christmas is Erica (Robb) - Erica is one of the 'Scottish' cousins many of you have never met her and yours is the loss.

Erica says she isn't really a Christmas person so I think that the best thing is that she has participated and shared with us - Thank you!

Erica inherited her tree, here is a picture of it









Doug, Agnes and Thandi are in new Zealand travelling from Hamilton on the north island to Dunedin on the southern tip of south island the week before Christmas but they took a little bit of Sweden - where Agnes hails from - with them  when they celebrated Santa Lucia day on 13th December.   This is when the children in Sweden dress up an put candels in their crowns, Glögg is drunk, a kind of mulled wine, (the link explains the alcoholic version but there is a non-alcoholic version too sold in Ikea) and saffron buns are eaten - Thandi dressed up but without the candles as she is too little to be trusted with candles just yet.   It is worth you reading the link because the tradition is explained better and more  fully than I have here.   But a picture or two of our own little Santa Lucia I can do with thanks to Agnes for sending such sweet ones.

Another update from Doug, Agnes and Thandi who are now in Dunedin ...they have sent pictures of their New Zealand Christmas tree decorated with tinsel and tomte (Swedish 'little folk')

Click here to read all about the New Zealand Christmas with Doug and Agnes




There could not be a sweeter little Santa Lucia could there? I belive that Thandi has taken her first steps on their 'safari' just prior to Christmas to the south island...well done Thandi!

While back here in Wales Leah has been getting into the spirit with her own little antlers.

Her Mummy bought them as a joke but Leah refused to take them off she loved their jingling so much!

Pam and Roger have been busy...I love the pictures sent in by them - their tree :-

The spectacular stairwell at John Lewis Department Store:-

...and finally one of Roger  - very out of focus - trying the same effect on their own stairs...the out of focus puzzles me a bit - maybe by this time a little wine had been consumed?

Pam says she is as late as ever with preparations - the cake - the cake - still needs icing - another Christmas Eve job?....... update on 22nd Dec - Pam reports cake now iced - she is two days earlier than usual...I knew this blog would be a good idea - helps everyone get done on time!   And the blurry picture above is just blurry but not because there was any alcohol involved ...so we have got that straight - right?

....while Elaine (Baxter, English turned Aus cousin) confesses she is still writing Christmas cards ...you know what it is like in the southern hemisphere...sun shining, full summer - Christmas cards are an alien aspect of life when that is going on...but great news that she will be here with Chris and Lizzie in late January and early February 2012...hope we can meet.

Sarah in Dorset  sent pictures of their tree and as we will be spending Christmas with Sandra, Rog, Sarah and Chris this tree is particularly interesting to me...mmm...what do you think?   I think they made a really great job decorating it!   The other picture sent to me by Sarah is of two little boys of friends of hers - Sarah baby-sits these two rascals and here they are looking angelic by the mock fireplace their Dad built them from re-cycled materials - wow - well done to Pete!

Mike Kristen and Dan sent me thes photos of their eye boggling preparation for Christmas - I don't know what they have eaten or maybe what they saw...but they really must have seen/eaten something with eyes like that!

Kristen...

what BIG eyes you have!




24th December.  Sent all the way from America from my nephew Matthew Holmes, two pictures, one of an amazing 'light tree' which he took when visiting - now I will quote from the email attached to the photos "
the Bob Jones display wherethere are also ‘tens of thousands’ of lights in trees and shrubs along the road running along the front of the campus (Wade Hampton Blvd). I cannot cite the exact number but the phrase ‘tens of thousands’ is accurate. The campus is both picturesque and impressive in this respect!"




Thank you for these pictures Matthew and merry Chritmas to you and your Mum and Dad.

Thankfully the ones sent to me this evening from Gels are less frightening than the ones of the Turner Trio pictured above with weird eyes... as she and Leah make the choc-chip Christmas cake .....

My own contribution to the pictures I will keep in the baking theme as we seem to have done LOTS of it this year ...Dave is a mince-pie eating machine...

...which is why there are NO pictures of the mince-pies we made.


But the picture I want to leave with you this year is this one below...I am convinced that this spectacular cirrus was made by the vapor trails of Santa's reindeer doing speed trials the other day to see which ones would be chosen to pull the sleigh this year...anyway picture taken this week above Kenfig as we were walking the dogs

Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing!

xxxxx