What a busy week!

Had to stop and take this photo on Tuesday morning, usually I'd have the kids with me and wouldn't be allowed to - so driving solo, I pulled over to take in this wonderful view. A breath of fresh cold air to start the week.

I've pretty much timetabled every free hour to get jobs ticked off the 'to do' list this week. 

Present wrapping has been the priority, grabbing moments when Jeff's been out, the kids have still been at school, although scuppered slightly by Sam having a sick day! Getting the family presents wrapped for swapping at our family lunch or dropping off en route to other things - such a busy time of the year.

  The thing is, I like to wrap presents at the kitchen table, Christmas music playing, with the tree up, so I can never start any earlier. I also like to lay everything out, particularly with Sophie and Sam's gifts just to make sure it's reasonably equal - anyone else do that?

I have all my ribbons, paper, tags and extra bits all laid out in front of me - a good couple of hours wrapping before it all has to get tidied away for a meal or something.

Now the children are older, the pressies go straight under the tree or in bags lined up for gifting. Sam is still a big kid at heart, he's only ever interested in the presents - betting he'll still wake early on the big day, even though he 'didn't want any presents' this year, just money!!!!

Jeff's pile of pressies goes by his chair, makes opening on Christmas morning easier.

Found these fab bottles this year - it's all in the detail. Wine in the striped bottles, a red and a white from Tesco's and the Belvoir Elderflower Presse was looking very festive too. Will wash out the bottles and try and keep them for future decoration.

I've been busy at work, Christmas Jumper is uniform all month if you wish and there's been a notable shift in busyness from Black Friday onwards. I'm in full time Mon to Thurs this week, doing a little overtime too, so will be very busy I'm guessing. I prefer it that way and the kids don't break up until Thursday, so won't be missing out on much. Have the Friday and Saturday off, then in again all day Christmas Eve - will have to leave Christmas lunch 'veg prep' instructions for the rest of them to get on with. It will be a bit different this year but I'm hoping work will be busy and have a good festive atmosphere and I will finish at 4.30, so still time for a festive evening with the family.

For actual Christmas, it will just be the four of us, so not to miss out on some festive family time together, my Mum, Dad and Granny came up from Cornwall yesterday for lunch and my sister and niece joined us. It was a lovely afternoon altogether and we all sat together around the table in the kitchen, with room to spare.

My sister and I then surprised my Granny by whisking her off to Sainsbury's to fill her trolley with whatever she wanted. At 94 she still lives independently and although she says she's become lazy, I think most sensible, she now eats more ready meals and said on the phone how she fancied a change. So as she doesn't have a Sainsbury's nearby, my sister and I thought it would be the perfect Christmas gift to take her shopping. My dad had checked there was space in her freezer and packed the cool bag, so all that was left was to fill her trolley. I think she was suitably surprised and I checked in with her this morning and she did get it all in the freezer - phew!

I hope all your festive plans are coming together. Although busy, I love this time of the year and the older I get, I appreciate more the people I get to spend time with, rather than everything else. Although saying that, the boys are off to watch Star Wars tonight, Sophie has an early night planned to beat off the cold bugs, so I have a night on the sofa on my own booked in, a Christmas movie, glass of Baileys and possibly a chocolate or two planned....... and relax x