Christmas is coming

It is important firstly to acknowledge the birthday of the year.  Happy Birthday to Auntie Rosie and Auntie Ruthy.  Hope you enjoy the party of the year.  Alice is very upset that you are having a party without her and wants to ensure that there will be party bags.  So if you could get back to us on that one, that would be great.

Once this birthday and Daddy's birthday are over there's nothing to stop us hurtling at breakneck speed towards Christmas.  Helpfully, they have already started preparing for it at Seals.  I guess they have a lot of hours to fill in a day.  Today they made crackers or bonbons, as they call them here.

Proud Mummy moment came from the daily report describing how they all made a snowman out of boxes,which they painted white.  (At 31 degrees you have to make do).  Alice showed quite good scientific knowledge, I thought (or she's more likely been watching a snowy Charlie and Lola episode):
"During lunch, we asked the children what other materials we could use to make our snowman more ‘life like’. Hayden suggested we added snow but the idea was quickly retracted when Alice pointed out that it would melt!"

With the secret that Christmas is coming out, there is nothing to stop the daily requests: "Can we put up the Christmas tree", "Can we wrap up some presents"; the worries about Santa coming into bedrooms, the endless "Can I have this, can I have that for Christmas" as you walk around the shops.  On the upside, the threat that Santa won't come can start soon too.  Brilliant.

Alice was making her mental list of presents in the car tonight.  She got to one and stalled.  Then she thought of something else before hesitating.  Sadly she sighed, "Mummy, Santa won't bring two presents, will he?"

"No, I replied, silently congratulating myself on raising such a non-greedy little person.

"He brings loads and loads and loads, doesn't he?"