First Warrnambool Christmas

Christmas 2007 was our first to be celebrated with just our nuclear family. Mum & Dad were going to come over, but Dad had to have surgery shortly before Christmas and was given stern instructions by his Dr. to not do very much at all, let alone make such a long trip! A lady from church made us a Chrissy pudding. My sister Liv is now the family pudding maker - she caught a few of Grandma's "mantles" e.g. cooking and the green thumb.

I went to town on table decorations. I decided to do the less traditional blue and silver, and made the tablecloth and napkins (don't look too closely, I didn't get Grandma's sewing gene, though I did get her beautiful old Singer sewing machine). We made snowflake placemats out of silver paper, found silver bon-bons, and blue & silver tree baubles to tie onto the napkins. To make sure we remembered the real reason for Christmas, I found a little nativity statuette.

We were very thankful however to accept an invitation from our Pastor's family to share the evening meal with them and meet one set of their grandparents. Just as well - in case we got sick of our own company!! Our Christmases at Mum & Dad's have in recent years been marked by increasing numbers of nieces and nephews, and their associated noise and activity. The older boys are good at occupying themselves now, especially in Elise's dress-up basket!! There are 10 altogether now: 5 boys, 3 girls and now 2 more very cute baby boys.

Don't feel too sad. We had a big belated family Christmas in Adelaide in mid-Jan, when we were able to travel over and attend the awesome Influencers Conference at Paradise Community Church.