Christmas Day evening

Good evening peeps,

This is the sleepy and lost time of Christmas Day, when people doze with films on.

What a day!

Church was awesome, all the candles and singing. I had to go up the front again, kind of a Christmas tradition maybe :) I was worried about being hoarse and gummed up, but I was OK.

Then afterwards it was time to go home before lunch.

I came home, watched some film, and then it was time for me to walk the dog, because there were already far too many people in the kitchen preparing the dinner and me and the dog fancied a walk.

We parked on the cliffs, the sea was wild and so was the wind, it was too wild for surfers to have their Christmas Day Surf on the bay, but there were kite surfers out.

Me and the dog walked along the cliff, we really enjoyed it, Christmas Day, a girl and a dog, wild sea, wild wind, cliffs and sky and space.
Eventually the dark clouds loomed and it was close to lunchtime so I called the dog back, the dog said 'aww' but she turned willingly enough and we went back.

We got there on good time for lunch, not for the dog, but for the humans.

It was a big meal, Dibley style, 16 veg with the turkey, roasties, pigs in blankets, stuffed mushrooms, etc etc, huge meal, loads of people. I had brought a bottle of Shloer with me as I don't drink, but the Shloer was popular and was gone within 5 minutes.

After the main course the kitchen was packed with people washing up, so I cleared and wiped the table, and then pudding was put out buffet style as we relaxed in the lounge and opened presents.

Pudding included a humungous trifle, home made mince pies, a huge christmas pudding and brandy butter, home made of course.

And there were luxury chocolates, I think we all got a box of luxury chocolates in our presents. The children had fun climbing on me and sitting on my knee, the others are used to it but I don't have much contact with young children, so it was special to share Christmas with them, and the nice teenagers, the normal grown ups and the delightful grandma and grandpa. Lots of people, a real family Christmas.

Then it was tea and coffee and a scramble to get out for a walk before it got dark.

We walked to the park.

We had a hilarious time, I was fondly imagining us pushing the kids on the swings but the grown ups became like me for a while and we also went on the swings, and the slide, climbing frame and roundabout, we whooped and laughed and had swinging competitions while the grey daylight faded and the wind picked up some more, and the lights came on in the houses around the park. Briefly a few other families came and went, but we played like children, and it was like being back with my family long ago.

After that, we headed back, and I decided that it was time for me to go. I left the dog with them, and headed to the cliffs in the dark. The sea raged and it was quiet and lonely up there. Lovely.

I came home slowly and lit the Christmas candle and have been watching films and writing, eating, drinking, feeling sleepy.
What an awesome Christmas.