Deck the halls with boughs of Holly

Christmas 2008As ribbons, torn wrappings and festive cards adorn the floors and mantelpieces of our homes, winter pudding settles in our tummies, and wine induced laughter and ridiculous conversations buzz through the air.

It's Christmas night and I hope your celebrations were as lovely as the one I shared with my family.

Last night, Mum and I attended Christmas Eve carols and midnight mass at St Francis Church in the city and then had Christmas pudding served with Italian custard before going to bed at 3.30am! Then this morning we had panatone and coffee in our garden and exchanged our Christmas gifts before going to the home of Barbara and Kevin, to celebrate Christmas with Bruno, Christy, Matthew and James.

Dear Barbara & Kevin,

Thank you for a wonderful & festive Christmas gathering. It was a truly beautiful, enjoyable and memorable celebration. Great food & wine, much laughter and great company. I particularly loved seeing gorgeous Matthew & James playing outside in the garden in the afternoon sun.

Tonight it was lovely to continue the Christmas celebrations with Mary Frances, Stephen and my god daughter Acacia. We had dinner together in the city and then we walked to Lygon Street for an ice cream. The night air was balmy and apart from a few restaurants the streets of the city were notably quiet. It was a relaxing way to conclude a beautiful day.

Tomorrow Mum and I are going to Chadstone to tackle the Boxing Day Sales. I think that Norman Rockwell's depiction will be an accurate representation of us at the end of the day.

Enjoy spending time with those you love, relaxing, eating & the festive break.