Other Christmas Events

The night before Alec was set apart we squeezed in a birthday dinner for Anne at our house. (So that week went Saturday: Alec's farewell; Sunday: Bishops Youth Discussion at our house; Monday: Anne's birthday party; Tuesday: Alec's setting apart; Wednesday: Alec Leaves; Friday: Pine Christmas Concert.)

Max is mad for all things Mighty Ducks - and in the absence of ice has taken to playing hockey with roller blades and a golf club - in the house.

Helen and Gary and family arrived for a couple of weeks of family and sunshine. Dinner was at our house. Lots of fun with no photos.

We invited the Simpson family for dinner the next day and heard the best Santa Clause story. When Carolyn was in grade two her parents divorced - leaving not much ready cash for Christmas which meant that Santa was a bit skint that year. Carolyn was a bit surprised that her friend down the road had lots of Santa toys - so her friend told her 'you know Santa is really your Dad'. Carolyn thought for a moment then dismissed it because 'if Santa is my Dad then how come he gave you lots of presents and me none.' Thereby proving that Santa was not her Dad!

Christmas Elves came to our house. Samantha and Anastasia came with a basket full of presents and overflowing with Christmas cheer - they were too cute for words. These are good people for the big kids to have for friends. There were homemade treats and presents for all and they stayed and chatted and told funny stories too. Then left in time to climb Mt Ngungun with Thomas and Jesse that night.

And the Walkers (except Donald and Lisha an family) came todiner - and we got to meet Rex - who I like.

Christmas Day

Presents

Eggs Benedict for breakfast compliments of Jesse

Talking to Alec for an hour (he has a much more generous mission president than Tom who was only allowed 20 minutes)

Anne's house for family presents

Petie's house for a seafood lunch - with enough seafood for 20 people (we had 10 people)
and more presents.

Then a swim at Little Cove

And dinner at Warren & Helen's - with cousins, aunts and uncles, turkey and pudding.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve may be my favourite part of Christmas - it's the only part with fairly firm traditions. For everything else we pretty much go with the flow but Christmas Eve has become quite ritualised over the years.

This year we had dinner at Lee and Joan's with the Hugo family from Joan's ward - fish, special volkhorn bread, hummus, olives, feta and orange juice - and damper.

And we had an extra nativity at Joan's house.

Peter Hugo is more than a little bit musically talented and he brought his harp - that he made by hand - to play for us. And Joan joined him on the Cello for Away in a Manger.

Tom sang Angels we Have Heard on High - in Russian. (I think he gave a total of five performances over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.)

Thomas was Joseph, seated beside Mary, with Roger the wiseman and Lee as King Herod.

After rounding up that lovely part of the evening we drove across to Becky and Trav's where Becky had hung pictures of Christmas past all over the walls - lovely.

Paul and Lynn and Tahlia came this year too. We had the nativity play and the present game before Becky and Travis went back to work - leaving us with an enormous box of rocky road to munch on all the way home.

Finally, the kids all slept in the shed while Roger and I played Santa.

And this year beside our stockings we found a note and a chocolate from Peet, Lousia and Max saying that they were playing Santa as well this year for Roger and I - too sweet.

Pine Christmas Concert

Pine's Christmas Concert was a tough one for Louisa - her last.

There was singing by the whole school:

well almost (that's Mac and Declan mid song - see Mathilda's stern face). (See the little girl in the shiny two piece right under the microphone in the top picture - she's a mermaid in the little kids play - and is secretly pregnant - it's never mentioned in the play but she rubs her tummy every so often.)

And this is Max as a purple blob in the middle kids play. (It was an easy costume at least.)

And Louisa as a dinosaur made of shade cloth.

Then came the major event of the night - the grown up play - Alice in Pineland. With a twist. Katymae went into labour that morning so she and Maris were spending their night going to and from the hospital - which meant we were short two major characters. I became the white rabbit instead of Maris and Mathilda was the Queen of Hearts instead of Katy. (Tina took Mathilda's place.)

Jesse was Alice - and was amazing.

Tom was the rapping caterpillar.

And Peet stepped in at the last minute too - to be Tweedle Dum to Fraser's Tweedle Dee.

Drew was the Cheshire cat and Patty was a very cute dormouse.

Then came awards, goodbyes and quilts (made this year by Patty and Caryl - for which I am most grateful). The came the tears - we hurried to clean up and managed to distract Louisa momentarily by talking about Mack's imminent arrival.

Airport

Saying Goodbye to Alec was actually not much fun. But we're smiling on the outside.

It's funny to see such a little group compared to when Tom left - we're missing Daniel, and ANne was home recovering from her hip operation - but that's only two leftand it looks much smaller.

David Gray - who has been Alec's friend since they were in preschool - and who grew very tall - left on the same plane.

Not sure who's cuter - Alec or the little boys.

We gave Brenton a copy of this photo for Christmas - and made him cry - you can count on us for a merry Christmas!

Mack Brace Element Kuhn

Introducing Mack!

This is a beautiful baby. We visited Katy for an hour and a half and Mack spent the whole time awake and looking at us - happy as can be and as content and pleased to be here as I have ever seen a baby be - good thing too after the awful birth. Katy was in serious labour for many hours and was sent home from the hospital 4 times - and told to work harder. Finally a doctor happened to have a look and saw that Mack was breech all along and within 2 minutes she was having a c-section. It's true that all's well that ends well but it was quite the trauma.

Mack is a serious impediment to any work getting done around the Element household. Maris is completely in love.

So are we.

Mathilda's Party

Mathilda and Patrick had a Christmas Party - complete with swimming in their magnificent pool, wood fired pizzas in the pizza oven Patrick built, and Patrick's band playing pub songs late into the night for dancing and singing along to. And Mack was there for our entertainment too.

I think they are our coolest friends! There was a band after all.