I flew back to England on 11th December to spend the weekend at the London Temple and some time with family and friends. Then on the 13th December my whole family headed to Centre Parcs for our annual family holiday. It was the first time in a while that my parents had all 8 of their children, and 5 of the 7 grandchildren together, it was so nice to be together, even if a lot of people weren't in the best of health!
We headed home to Poole on the 17th December and the week leading up to Christmas was full of baking, cooking, tidying, cleaning, carol singing, Christmas crafts and visiting, but also lovely smells, the wonderful spirit and excitement that comes with Christmas too.
Christmas has to be my favourite time of the year and I know it is largely to do with my parents and the Christmas experiences they have created for us over the years and I'm so grateful to them for it:) I love spending evenings looking at the Christmas tree and smelling the pine and reflecting on so many Christmases that have passed. I love listening to Christmas music and singing along. I love watching Christmas films, to get me in the mood for Christmas - it doesn't take much, I can even watch really cheesy films.
Last, but by no means least, I love seeing Nativity scenes to remind me of the reason for the season, and to reflect on the amazing event of the Saviour's birth, and what it means to the world, even though not everyone is aware of it.
Every Christmas eve my Father reads the Christmas story from the Bible so that we can focus on what really matters - and that is exactly it - although I am grateful for all the gifts I have received, it wouldn't matter to me if I didn't have any gifts. I am blessed to have been with my wonderful family this Christmas period and to know that Jesus Christ was born and his birth and life are worth celebrating.
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