Morning all, well tis the very last Rocking post of 2023
Well since last week's post and this weeks we've obviously had Christmas I hope yours has been beautiful and blessed.
Last Friday was our Christmas food shop day, a day later than we normally do it if I'm honest and we were stuck with all the other food shoppers, so much so we couldn't get parked at the first Aldi, so we headed to one slightly further afield and got parked, into the shop, wandered, bought and back out without too much hassle so my first grateful is that the food shopping whilst a stressful task in itself pre-Christmas actually went quite well.
The 23rd was spent preparing things in readiness for the big day, we set the main table on the 23rd which we were really pleased with and finished off a couple of homemade gifts with hubby.
I made some pretty labels for his Limoncello.
The table on the 23rd
Then finished off with the crockery etc on the 24th
Christmas Eve is always my favourite day of the year if I'm honest but usually it is spent sorting things to the wire, this year not so much if I'm honest and all the food preparation was all done by lunch time, so we got ready and popped over to said 23 year old's and his wife for a lovely afternoon, catching up with them and her Mum and step Dad, and my sister and my niece.
The big day arrived and for the first time in 23 years it was just the two of us as our only son woke up in his own home.
We had a leisurely hour gift opening which was lovely before we headed into the kitchen to make a start.
Not long after said 23 year old and his wife arrived so another batch of gift opening, they had got hubby this gift which is rather apt for him!
and we enjoyed watching them open their gifts.
which included one of their wedding photos blown up to poster size and framed.
We took a before the chaos began photo.
Said 23 year old and his missus really blew me away with my main gift, a genuine Mister Finch moth, I was utterly gobsmacked
The rest of Christmas day tripped along at a merry old pace as normal, family descended, we fed the world, Christmas lunch pretty much went without a hitch which was good and everyone enjoyed the food, I was complimented on my Yorkshire puddings, which was nice given that I'm a Yorkshire lass born and bred.
Said 23 year old and his wife had lunch at home but arrived for more gift opening and time with extended family later in the day which was brilliant, we managed to get a photo of most of us at the last minute, my sister genuinely enjoying her pudding in this photo, has had us giggling since Christmas day.
Boxing day this year was a quiet affair and we spent it chilling and relaxing in front of the wood-burning stove and reading all the wonderful books we got for Christmas.
The 27th was pig table day at my Mum's house, so named because firstly we genuinely make a pig of ourselves because my Mum has always been an amazing cook and secondly the majority of the items on the table are made from some sort of pork product - roast pork sandwiches, hot sausage rolls, pork pie etc.
She also made the world's best trifle genuinely it is absolutely stunning, apparently it is the Jubilee trifle that she doctored to strawberry rather than lemon and both me and hubby had third helpings, needless to say we didn't need any more food for the rest of the day!
Later in the afternoon my sister found the karaoke - always dangerous!
Overall Christmas has been an absolute delight if I'm honest and catching up with family has made me feel incredibly blessed.
I hope you too have had a beautiful and blessed Christmas and enjoyed the festivities in whatever way suits you.
This being the last of the Rocking posts for 2023, may I thank you for being around this year and commenting it's nice to know I'm not talking to myself if I'm honest.
I hope you have a wonderful new year and I will see you with the clean sheet that is 2023.
