Christmas In The Country (Part II)

The chimneys hold the promise

Of a friendly fire inside.

And so it's after bedtime,

All the children's eyes are wide.

There might be cakes and short bread

On a shiny silver train,

Waiting for a country Christmas day.

-Roger Whittaker, Christmas In The Country

Getting the tree is always exciting. We decorated the house through the week, and this weekend the focus was on two things: going to the tree farm to get and decorate the tree, and having a family feast under the sparkling lights.

Finger food was on the menu - we're talking sausage rolls, meatballs, cheese and crackers and a big pot of chowder, and some mulled wine so that the house smells like cinnamon.

Grandad and Nanna were here to take pictures and join in the fun. And then today - in the snow - was the Christmas Pageant, followed by an afternoon of sledding and snowball fights. Now it's just us again, mugs of hot cocoa all round, and curling up fireside for a bit before we watch a Christmas movie.