Twas the night before the night before Christmas...

I spent the morning doing church flowers with the faithful band of flower arrangers.   I did this arrangement by the altar

and then I did a little one by the south door....

And another one by the organ.   We are very fortunate that our lovely vicar lets us do the flowers the day before Christmas Eve - in the past it has always been such a rush with visitors arriving, cooking to do and the live crib service at 3 o'clock to prepare for (people start arriving at two to get a good seat!)  The church looks lovely, with all the windowsills and the font decorated.
 

And doesn't my Christmas tree look nice?  It is absolutely jam packed with old friends which are unpacked year after year.  And the lovely plumber has been to fix the radiators in the dining room and MY bathroom (I told George the only thing I wanted for Christmas was my radiator fixed.  I have to tell you that the sectret of a happy marriage is his and her bathrooms!)   There is a Mary Berry Mincemeat cake in the oven - never done it before but it sounded quick and easy and will fill a few gaps when the boys arrive.

I should be looking forward to Christmas, it is  a  lovely time of the year but this year I am so apprehensive.  And on top of everything else, junior daughter, who won't be with us on Christmas Day, has just announced that  on Boxing Day she wants to go to Heathrow to see a friend who is on a seven hour stop over from Chicago to Australia! Imagine anyone wanting to go and spend several hours in Heathrow  instead of being in the bosom of the family.......!   Ah well.    Tonight I have to go out and deliver the last of the presents to the ladies in the Almshouses - I have made a phone call to make sure she will be in.     Every single year I never manage to get them all in - I usually have to  make  several journeys!   I woke up at 4 this morning remembering that I had left one of the gifts - a large poinsettia - in the car all night but fortunately it didn't get spoilt by the frost. 

And tomorrow - Christmas Eve!   The crib service in the afternoon and Midnight Mass both of which George organises and both of which will be packed. 

 Let the magic of Christmas come in.