Well it is Christmas Day and I hope you are all having a fabulous time.
Before anyone shouts 'Get a life Mich, get off the PC and spend some time with your kids!', this was written days ago and is on scheduled post. So I am not really here....
Before anyone shouts 'Get a life Mich, get off the PC and spend some time with your kids!', this was written days ago and is on scheduled post. So I am not really here....
I was chatting to a friend at work the other day and she was talking about how busy she would be that night as she had to get all ready for Christmas. I wondered what it was she had left to do as she is going away and having a well deserved rest. It turns out it was to do all her pampering treatments - face pack, nails, hair treatment etc and then pick out her special outfits for the big days and this made me smile a lot and also to realise just how my Christmas days have changed through the ages. So I thought I would take a walk down memory lane and see just how much things have changed over the years......
Age 5 - It is all about the presents. It is too exciting for words and I can hardly sleep on Christmas eve.
Age 8 - I still love the presents but I also love having my Nan and Grandad over for lunch and playing board games with them afterwards.
Age 9 - Bounding into my brothers room in the morning with my stocking and opening our presents together on his bed before we go into Mum and Dad.
Age 10 - Searching high and low to see if I can find any presents before the big day! Then on the big day getting all dressed up in my new presents - dress, shoes, underwear, make up, handbag and all sorts of other girlie things so that I can go out for a drink to the club that my Grandad helps to run.
Age 15 - Working for 4 hours on Christmas day and earning 4x pay so that I can spend it at the sales.
Age 16 - Have my first serious boyfriend, so spend Xmas Eve night at the pub and have a super amazing time. Stay in bed until very late on Xmas day! All I can think about are sale shopping and getting a new outfit for NYE.
Age 19 - Happy to come home from Uni and see my family and boyfriend. Work at a local pub Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and Boxing Day topping up my money. Party all the other nights with my boyfriend!
Age 21 - Meet dh (to be at that time) and work at hotel in Eastbourne. My original thought was that it would be the worst Christmas ever with tons of old Grannies. It turned out to be the best. Yes I worked very hard in the hotel as one of the Trainee Managers but I made loads of good friends, gained a boyfriend, went nightclubbing constantly, got very drunk on many occasions and generally had a ball!
Ages 22 - 26 - Working every Christmas in various hotels. Serving all the guest but then having a great time with the other live-in staff getting drunk and having fun.Super staff parties in January to celebrate Xmas with karaoke - a real favourite of mine! Still always with dh... Always receiving amazing and thoughtful surprise presents from dh, like trips to Paris, first class on Eurostar for 27th Dec 1998.
Ages 27 - 29 - Christmas with either my parents or dh's. No hassle and no worries, waited on hand and foot.
Age 30 - JJ is just 2 months old and this is our first Christmas as a family of 3 - so many presents for such a tiny person! Life has changed and that suits me just fine. A nice quiet day, just the 3 of us - we can suit ourselves and it is totally relaxing!
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| Christmas 2004, JJ is 14 moths old |
Age 34 - The girls are 5 months old and my parents and brother come over to us. Boy does our house feel full but JJ is having a complete ball and there are lots of extra hands to cuddle and feed the babes. Let the good times commence.
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| Enjoying our Christmas Dinner, 2008. JJ is 5 and the girls are 17 months |
Age 37 - A family of 5, with kids all old enough to 'get' and enjoy Christmas. Trying to focus on the time together and the experience rather than too many presents and a lack of gratitude. Parents in law coming Christmas day and my parents coming Boxing day - It should all be fab! and yes I still do look forward to the sales every year!
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| Christmas 2009. JJ is 6 and the girls are 2.5 years |