Here's our festive little table, complete with Christmas crackers (an English tradition. You pull them open for a small toy, a paper crown, and a Laffy-Taffy quality joke.)
After dinner, we walked into town and attended the Christmas Eve candlelit service at the old church. I loved hearing the Christmas carols echoing through the stone building, flickering in candlelight.
Penny was not so happy to be going to church on a weekday. She cried and wiggled through the service until we slipped out the side door. Meanwhile, Esme ate a blue lollypop and tried to touch everyone's flames. It was a Christmas miracle that no one caught on fire.
After the church, we walked home through the town, dark except for twinkling Christmas lights on houses and in windows. Once home, the girls opened their Christmas jammies. Esme loved her Minnie Mouse ears. Penny looked like a Catholic cardinal in her red cap, and we all laughed at her for it for the rest of the night. We love Penny!
Once the girls were snug in their bed with visions of sugarplums and all that, we attempted to make our first ever fire in the fireplace. Then we watched It's a Wonderful Life and waited for Santa to come. It could not have been more perfect!
7 comments:
Sounds like it was perfect. That church building is gorgeous. I am dying to come visit!
What cool traditions you're starting! So glad that your parents could be there with you for Christmas!
What a wonderful time we had doing all these fun things. I wish it was on video so we could watch it over and over and hear all Esmé's chatting!
You failed to mention how we had to make the gingerbread men with treacle, not molasses. This is an important point for all Dickens' fans.
Annie, I could not stop laughing over Penny's red cap. I'm still laughing!
Also, what a perfect and lovely christmas eve. So many great traditions to carry on.
A. You make me laugh. B. I adore candlelight services in old churches. I'm jealous over here.
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