Christmas Scenes

Dressing up for Christmas

The other day Elspeth asked Marisca what she'd like to dress up as for the toddler group nativities.  She immediately chose an angel, which is definitely her favourite of all Christmas things except for the baby Jesus.  Elspeth ran up a dress and complemented with pre-existing wings and a tinsel halo.

Risky loved it so much she has barely taken it off all week. Exceptions have included bed time when she can be a tiger (just a pretend tiger) with antlers, or when she had a play date next door and came back dressed as Mary!

A winter wonderland

Marisca has an advent calendar of activities.  Of course, as Elspeth is such a wonderful mum.  She loves her advent calendar of activities, whether it's sticking nativity stickers in a book, baking biscuits, or going to a Winter Wonderland - which is exactly what we did on Sunday.

Had we not been in the mood, Stockeld Park would have been more Hibernal Hell than Winter Wonderland - countless families with small children getting quite irate about the 4 hour queue to see Santa.  Luckily Marisca is not really into Santa, or at least not while he's there in person to be shy about, so we just went for a walk through the enchanted forest instead.  We had a whale of a time on the 1.2km walk, looking at the various lit creatures, playing on tea cups and rope bridges, and enjoying watching the people doing fake cross country skiing, or rather more enjoying them failing to do so.

And Marisca got a biscuit the size of her head.

Portrait of a boy: feeding

Portrait of a boy: motion

Family visiting

Two whole weeks ago we went down to see Andy and Jon on their flying visit to these shores.  We ate cake, played games, read stories, and had Double Pingu.  And posed, reasonably well in the main, for this photograph.