Christmas Eve.

Well Christmas may come just once a year but my goodness it comes around quick. One day I’m worrying because I haven’t bought a single Christmas present and there isn’t a mince pie in the house, and the next it is the most scrumptious day of the year, Christmas Eve. And I’m all done and dusted, presents bought and wrapped in a strange, rather enchanting little combination of Ikea Christmas gnomes and vintage tinsel, Father Christmas shaped chocolate shortbread cooling in the kitchen, fairy lights flashing on the tree (that is a lie: nothing is allowed to flash in my house) and a small child positively off his head with worry because Mommy forgot to buy carrots for Rudolph, and that means he is bound to get left “girls” presents by a vindictive Santa.
I have called at all my friend’s houses this morning. Shared tea and early glasses of bubbly, been mauled by kids off their trolleys with excitement, delivered parcels like a Pucci patterned Mother Christmas, watched a silly festive cartoon or six, danced the Christmas Polka up and down the hallway with Finn, sprinkled icing sugar over my shop bought mince pies,   and all in all had a scrumptiously Christmassy morning…
And now for the best part of the day. Helen is downstairs bundling the boys up in scarves and coats and gloves and in a moment I will go down and stuff their little pockets with spiderman chocolate and satsumas. Then we will hunt high and low for the last carrot in the country, before making our way to St Michaels, the church in which Finley was christened, for the crib service, complete with nativity play and carols sung so beautifully by the teeniest of tots, you can’t help but cry.
Afterwards we will  drive to Mum’s for a glass of Ruby Chocolate wine, then lock the kids in the living room while we furtively exchange gifts for Santa to deliver in the dark of night, before Finley and I make our way home for our very own little candlelit Christmas tea-party. Complete with Santa hats, jim jams and a blazing fire.
All is calm, all is bright. May all your Christmas Eves be twice as magical.