And we have been up since 5:30; however I made the girls go back to bed for an hour, so we can down at 6:30. I think that is the earliest we have been up on Christmas Day in a few years. And the funniest part is that it was still REALLY dark outside. The kids were all every excited about the bikes that Father Christmas left for them!
I just wanted to write a few things about Christmas that are different here while I am thinking of it.
Everything is closed on Christmas Day. No public transport at all, no buses or trains are running today at all. A perfect excuse to stay home in our PJs all day! And all the shops are closed. I am sure there are some pubs and restaurants open.
traditions that are British that I LOVE:
-Christmas crackers: a tradition at festive meals. you cross your hands and pull the crackers on either side of you and it pops and inside is a paper crown and well as a joke and a small toy. They sell them everywhere, including luxury ones. Not sure what's inside those, but maybe I will splurge next year.
-mince pie: not at all what the name says. Until I tasted a mince pie, I thought it was like a pie with ground beef inside; however, it is actually a pie with yummy fruit inside. They are EVERYWHERE!! They are yummy! I was not adventerous enough to make them this year, but you can buy jars of pre-made mince for the pies.
-mulled wine: red wine cooked with spices and served warm along with mince pies. Double yum!
-ice skating: there are so many places that set up ice skating rinks: history musuem, Hyde Park, Hampton Court, etc. We went to Hyde Park. Its fun, however it can get slushy because it's not really all that cold here.
-Pantomime: a familiar show that includes singing, dancing, men in drag and humour. Last year, we saw Cinderella at the local theater. This year, we will see Peter Pan. The kids also got to see one at -school, and Brad's office also organized one for the kids.
-Christmas cards: The kids at school all exchange little Christmas cards; it reminds me of Valentine's in the US. The girls wrote out cards to each child in their class; they were even able to remember all the students on their own! I loved seeing all the cards they received as well. They don't do photo cards here, so everyone was very impressed with ours!
-Christmas markets: more a European thing. We only made it to one this year, but they have them all over London and there are some great ones in Brugges, Germany, most big European cities.
-Nativity at school: the kids in reception (4 year olds) did the entire Christmas story as their school play. That would NEVER happen in a public school in the US! And I love that the kids here get to participate in that; and all the kids in the school got to see the show as well. Drew will be able to participate next year.
It has been a good Christmas this year; however, we really miss our family and friends in the US, but we have enjoyed spending time with the friends we have made here. I will say I really did miss going to church and seeing the kids in the Christmas pageant and singing Silent Night in the dark with candles. It just wasn't quite the same.
The kids received bikes from Santa; Ali's with no training wheels! They all went for a ride in the afternoon and did well on their bikes. The girls also found out they are going to the Little Mix concert in March and they are SO excited!!
Happy Birthday , Jesus and Merry Christmas everyone!!!
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