Caroline from New York

My niece.

Abbey showing Grandpa…

Her fav Christmas gift, the bilby from Auntie Rowena

Auntie Rowena gave Abbey…

A toy bilby, from Australia.

In from New York

My niece, Caroline, discusses Christmas with her nephew, Noah.

Christmas 2013

Eli, the enchanting!

Midweek looking back…

Monday, Tuesday….

Children, and family, and cooking, and last-minute shopping, and wrapping… All the usual.

Monday was the day Anna came over, with the children. And we decorated the tree, and “helped” Grandma cook… It was a lot of fun. But tiring. Worth it though.

Tuesday, just us on the farm. My job was to wrap every gift in the house, except mine, of course. Early evening saw us join the others at children’s Christmas Eve service in church. Abbey and Noah were very excited. Their daddy read some of the bible passages. They were very proud of him. They went down the front to the minister, when he read a children’s Christmas story, as the sermon. They answered his questions perfectly. They loved getting small electric candles. You name it… Wild excitement.

It was a lovely service.

Afterwards, we three went to a party… Hospitable folk. Friendly, multi-national guests, and some even knew East Gippsland! Interesting food. The host was very sweet. He collects old music boxes, the traditional kind. He played us “Silent Night”. So beautiful.

CHRISTMAS DAY…

Caroline arrived. Yay! Another delightful niece, who lives in New York.

Lunch was our highlight. Everyone, and laughter, and good food and much blessing.  The children weren’t the only ones hyped up!  Then the gifts. So much, even for me, the visitor…

I must say, the bilby and the echidna went down well with Abbey, our animal person.

It was a very good Christmas Day.

And now, Thursday draws to an end. Adrienne, Caroline and I pottered gently round town. Recovering.

Emil and Noah at the tree farm

Finding the right tree is a very serious task indeed!

Noah….

Showing enthusiasm at the tree farm!
He takes Christmas very seriously.

Weekend wrap.

Saturday… Adrienne and I drove through some lovely countryside, villages and farms, to a quaint little shop, where I was told not to go near her, whilst she shopped, as she had to buy me a gift. Cool!

Then I was dropped off in town, where there was a charity showing of a lovely movie. “The Polar Express” was one I had not seen, but more than that… I was seeing it with Anna and the older children. Watching them watch the movie was fun too. They were very good, but after a while, Abbey wandered down to the front, and sat on the stairs. Occasionally, she would come back to me, wave past me at her mum, pat my shoulder, and whisper “Good, still here.”

Afterwards, we picked up Eli, and came back to the farm. Dinner, laughter, noise…. All that joyous, extended family stuff. Abbey played with the Nativity set. She clearly listens in church…

joy of the Lord

sheep off the God

joyousness off the season

virgal mummy (sic)

And so on!

After consultation with Anna, my gift to her and Jason isa set of their own. I assume it will be a hit!

Jason stayed home and cleaned.

The weather was wet. Wet. Wet…

——–

Sunday… Emil and I went to church, whilst Adrienne stayed home and cleaned. So did Anna, incidentally. After checking to see we could get through the floods… And we could. Much water though.

i helped Jason at church, with the children. Finally, we took Noah back to the farm, to spend the night…

Late this afternoon, we piled in the older car, travelled through some mountainous countryside, and ended up at a tree farm. We chose a lovely tree.

And now, Emil and Noah are putting up the tree lights. The rest of the decorations will go up tomorrow, when everyone else comes out to spend the day. We are weary and happy.

Rained all day. Floods everywhere. Temperature reached 16.c. Unusually high, apparently. Minus temps will return this week. Snow all gone, of course. We may have a green Christmas after all.

ps.  I gave Anna her Nativity set. Jason told me at church that Abbey was entranced. She can play with her own Jesus now. Noah likes it too, and will protect from Eli, who just likes to throw things!

Noah, being serious about Christmas decorations in town.

Noah, in Athens.