Christmas 2013

Our Christmas day started bright and early, as Ellen woke at 5:37, but we were looking forward to watching Ellen open her presents.

 Santa came!

 A ceramic orament Ellen painted at playgroup (with help from Mommy)

 Opening presents with Daddy

 There was a Peppa Pig theme to most of Ellen's presents. Here she is looking through a Peppa coloring book while wearing her Peppa necklace.

 Which one next?

 Taking a break from the "boredom" of opening presents (really...) to make a chocolate cake in Ellen's kitchen.  Ellen wasn't entirely excited to open her presents, but preferred to play with her "old" toys instead... oh, well.

After getting dressed and having breakfast, we continued to open presents.

 

 Admiring her large Christmas card from Granny and Grandad.

Ellen loved her guitar that sings A-B-Cs from her Uncle Jason and Tia Angela.  Thank you to all of our family for sending so many presents from afar.

Our church met at a chapel in a village near Shrewsbury at 10:30 for carols and readings.  Friends from church, Marian and Matt Bosch, joined us later in the afternoon for Christmas dinner. Marian baked her grandfather's recipe for Dutch bread, very similar to stollen, but without marizpan; let's just say it was delicious... and gone by the next day.  She also made Pavlova for dessert to add a Kiwi (as in New Zealand) element to our meal.  For our multi-cultural Christmas dinner we had: baked ham and cranberry sauce, chipolatas, stuffing, roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips, fruit bread and Pavlova. 

Matt and Marian stayed until after 10:00. Although we weren't able to spend Christmas with our extended family, we enjoyed the day together and with our church family.