Our Christmas Night Tradition .....

Tonight, like every Christmas, as soon as it starts to get dark, we will light a candle in our mahooosive lantern in the garden,  to remember all the special people who sadly won’t be with us on Christmas Day …..

…….. especially Granny Shelia and Andy …….. we miss them so much, our hearts ache and we would give up every single Christmas present this year and forever if we could have them back for just a few seconds to tell them how much we love them.

It’s Christmas Eve, And We Are Ready …..

Well, Castle Greysquirrel is as festively ready as it will ever be , so Santa …… bring it on …

Our toilet tissue is draped within an inch of it’s life, both upstairs and down………….…… and our festive bubble bath is all lined up and primed for our LBBS ….(Last Bath Before Santa) …..

Our crackers are piled and ready to pull, with Darrell determined that the Miss Piggy one will be his……. what is he like?

Our bite size sausage rolls are sadly, robustly burnt, however ……

…… we have a most ample, varied and very pleasing selection of British cheeses and savoury tit bits for any visitors that might happen upon our door.

 

Our cushions are plumped to plumped perfection for our festive Wolverhampton lounging and the Quality Street is already opened for our delectation pre and après the Queen’s Speech.

And finally,  our stockings are hung ……  all expectant and hopeful …….

…… all that is left to do is light our special candle a little later on tonight and  then we will be off across the road to Granddad Colin’s for our annual, de rigueur, Christmas Chinese fest …… nom, nom, nom. 

OMD …..we are so very blessed in a bumper Christmas edition of Hello Magazine type way ………

The Time Has Come To Write Our Letters To Santa

Yesterday afternoon, after Sunday lunch, Darrell and I decide it was an appropriate time for all of us to compose our letters to Santa…….

……. a task we had all be cogitating for quite some time, as we are only allowed to ask for one thing each, all due consideration and a great deal of pensive thoughtful thought has to be taken, before any of us actually put pen to paper.

However, in the end I asked for a bird feeder, something I have wanted for ages so that I can become more familiar with the birds that visit our garden, Darrell asked for a onsie, so he could be en trende at parties and at leisure,  and worrying, Nigel asked for a cement mixer ……. which seemed a very BIG ask, even for Santa.

Then, when everyone was happy with what they had written and asked for I gathered up all the letters  ….

……  to, with much pomp, ceremony as well as finger and toe crossing……send them up the chimney of Castle Greysquirrel ……

……. something we have never been able to do before …….

……. but with the very sad demise of the last of Andy’s fish, we can now access the hitherto inaccessible, aforementioned chimney,  as the fish tank is no longer in the way.

We then sat awhile and basked in the most romantic and festive candlelight ……

…… Darrell and I alone in our thoughts and dreams…… and Nigel  making very loud chugging noises …. very much akin to a cement mixer in full pelt ……. so we were left in no doubt as to what he was thinking about!!!!!!  Oh dear …..  a cement mixer ……. it seems very, very ambitious request……….

A Most Wonderful Gift Of The Year For Nigel

Nigel’s friend in the 6th Form, Alex, popped in to see him on Friday, before she broke up for the holidays with a card and a present for him, but was bereft and almost inconsolable when she found that she had just missed him by minutes, after the Cook Lady had let him go home early when the kitchen had closed down ……

However,  Darrell said that he would take the aforementioned card and present back to Castle Greysquirell to Nigel for her and thanked the Delightful Alex profusely for her kindness on Nigel’s behalf.

Nigel was very disappointed when he heard that he had missed Alex’s visit, but was then very excited when Darrell told him that there was a card and present involved.

Nigel read the card over and over again “ To all at Castle Greysquirrell, here comes Christmas, hope you are ready! Love Alex and her Mum” with two big kisses

…… and then his attention turned to his beautifully wrapped gift …… Now, at Castle Greysquirrel we are not usually allowed to open any of our presents until Christmas morning ….

…… but the tag said “Please open ASAP” ……. well, it would have looked most rude not to …….

….. so Nigel and Darrell thought it must be OK, and they wouldn't get into trouble.

Oh, mon dieu et mon droite et gauche …… inside the box, delicately wrapped in tissue was the most wonderful hand made and embroidered Christmas Tree hat to “top” Nigel’s festive jumper …….. we have ever seen ……

Let’s just say there were tears and much emotion!  What a lovely, lovely present and thought!

Darrell and Nigel read the note from Alex’s mum out aloud in between huge, heaving sniffs ….

“This has to be your bestest present ever, ever, EVER of a festive garb type nature”  Darrell told Nigel

“I know” replied Nigel robustly  …….. “And it’s not coming off for the whole of the holiday, even when I am in bed or in the bath  …… I love it soooooooooooo much”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx “I am so very lucky to have such lovely, lovely friends ……. THANK YOU Alex and Alex’s Mum …… I just LOVE it!” xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx And then, Nigel and Darrell sniffed some more, in an emotional Hello Magazine type way!

Nigel’s Robustly Special Christmas Card

You may remember some time ago Nigel found a foam “M” lying randomly on the pavement on his way to work and had availed himself of it  with a little pleased hum ….. well, I had forgotten all about it until yesterday afternoon …..

Nigel had gone VERY quiet, and when I popped my head round the door of the room where he was, I have to admit to thinking that he was being a little furtive when he said that he was just do a bit of colouring in …. but I let him be…..as he seemed to be concentrating very hard,

……. little suspecting that there was a lot more going on than just the aforementioned colouring in ……

…… which included Nigel’s “found” foam M, great dollops of glue and copious amounts of glitter and sequins ….

After about three hours of almost complete silence, except for the odd chorus of jingle bells , Nigel came running downstairs looking for Darrell and I in a most excited state.

“I’ve made you something!” he announced proudly …..

….. so we all gathered round and Nigel presented us with a mahoooosive red envelope with our names on …….

….. and inside was the most wonderful Christmas card we had ever, ever seen, made by Nigel, all by himself, without any help at all, not even a spelling ……. it was a very, very robustly emotional moment!

Darrell put Nigel’s card, after dabbing his eyes and blowing his nose, in pride of place on the shelf in the dining room.

We all had to agree it was the most precious and special Christmas card in the whole wide world ….. and a most excellent use of Nigel’s randomly found foam “M”.  

Magical Christmas Sparkle And Light Glasses

Lucy bought us some most wonderful and magical Christmas Sparkle and Light glasses from one of her little surjoins to the local garden centre near where she works ……She bought us a Santa pair and a Gingerbread man pair …….

…… they are so special that when you look at any Christmas lights through them you see magical twinkling Santa’s ……

…… or magical twinkling gingerbread men …… It was hard to take a photo through them to show you the awe and wonder, but if you scrunch your eyes up tight or cross your eyes you can really, really see them ……. how brilliant are they???????

Darrell and Nigel now never leave the house without them ….. and after tea, when the washing up should be being done, they disappear for ages just walking round the village looking at all the lovely lights ooooooohing and ahhhhhing like a pair of ooohers and ahhhers possessed!!! What are they like?