Christmas

Christmas began when, in the early hours of the 25th December, I felt my foot push something off the bed, and felt a thump, and thought 'I've killed the cat!' who often curls onto my bed. I sat up to survey my crime and found instead a full stocking, a wrapped present, and an orange on the floor instead of a cat. Happy, but still in a sleeping house and therefore unable to make a happy sound or do a thump-y happy dance, I went quietly into the kitchen, smiling all the while, and continued smiling as I started cooking up the apples in cinnamon for Grandma and my own porridge.

Nic woke up next, and I asked him of he'd got a stocking too. He'd actually been having a nightmare, and had woken up whilst Auntie Sarah was creeping around the house giving first Grandma and then me our stockings. When she got to Nic's room (with him just woken from his nightmare), she had to first shuffle open the plastic sliding door which is impossible to do quietly, and she entered to find him sitting up awake, obviously completely confused as to what on earth was happening. She sort of whisper-explained-apologised a garbled 'sorry! sorry! Father Christmas! sorry! Father Christmas!' and put his stocking down and left. This story was told multiple times during the day to various family/friends.

After breakfast we emptied out our stockings, and I was so so pleased with the thoughtful gifts Auntie Sarah had chosen. I saved the wrapped present for boxing day since I don't like opening all my presents in one go, and I had plenty to be thankful for from that stocking, which contained:

2 satsumas
a little packet of cacao powder
a little packet of hemp powder
a badge from the Ai wei wei exhibition
a little pot with eidelweiss seeds in it, for me to grow on my balconey in college

Then I went over to Auntie Sarah's place where all the ivy was still up decorating the walls after the previous nights christmas eve curry dinner. I managed to skype my family, as well as what seemed like half the church youth, all piled into our back room. It was so precious to see familiar faces, most of whom I haven't skyped at all since leaving.

It can't have been four hours since we'd eaten breakfast but we soon piled into Digger's car to go to Kate's house for Christmas lunch. (Cue crispy roast potatoes!!!) I understand now what Auntie Sarah means when she describes Christmas here as a very Walker family Christmas, since it is dominated by eating with the Walker family. They are a clan of a family, presided over by Jill and Digger, and finally over Christmas I began putting faces to the names I'd just heard of previously.

Other things I did over Christmas:

-finally watched The Great Gatsby
-played Kolejka (or as we all call it now, 'The Polish Game') which I had bought as a present for Auntie Sarah and family
-thought muchly of home
-enjoyed a silent car ride after a whole lunch time of talking