Brisbane, QLD


Wednesday, January 3, 2018

CHRISTMAS WITH FAMILY

Oh dear! I am late with this post. Chores keep getting in the way of blogging. Anyway "Gattina" asked to see some big photos of our Christmas so that spurred me into action. Even then I had a visitor interrupt.

We were so lucky to have all of our family come to stay with us for the five days up to Christmas Day. Sonya, Bernie, Fox and Banjo from Melbourne and Carol and David from Sydney.


We celebrate on Christmas Eve because that is how it is in Switzerland. It suits our children because they can then go to their other families on Christmas day. So David, Bernie and Bill cooked us a beautiful lunch which included fish, prawns, crayfish (bugs), ham and salads, Christmas cake and custard. 

 After lunch David put on the Santa hat and gave out the presents from under the tree that were from family members to each other. Fox is patiently waiting for his name to be called out.

 The boys enjoyed opening their presents.

 They gave their parents hugs to say thanks for their gifts.

 Grandma got to hug and

Granddad too. We don't see our grandsons very often in the flesh but thanks to technology we get to see them often but its not as good as a real hug.

The next morning the boys found that Santa had left a sack of presents under the fake bamboo tree.

 Fox was impressed with his Minecraft book and toys.

This all happened at 6:00 am by 8:00 am we were in the car on the way to the airport for them to fly back to Melbourne to have Christmas Dinner with Bernie's family. David and Carol left at 7:00am to drive across Brisbane to have Christmas Breakfast with David's family and later Dinner too. We enjoyed the quiet house and left overs for lunch before the clean up and washing started. I miss my hugs already.



20 comments:

  1. So glad that Santa made it there - and Minecraft too!

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  2. Aren't modern families so complex. Great family photos of your Christmas Eve.

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  3. We also have always celebrated on Christmas eve they do it Germany and Austria too. But we open also the gifts which are piled under the tree on Christmas Eve, so the children can play already at 6 am while we can sleep ! I think that's more practical. It seems you had a wonderful Christmas, but you must have been half dead after this ! I with my 3 people fell into pieces when they left ! It's as if a hurican blowing through the house. It's fun to see your grandsons, they are just like Toby. Toby has got his "real" front teeth now !

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  4. I love the bamboo tree and i can't beleinve how much Fox and Banjo have grown. these are all beautiful family fotos.. as is your family

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  5. Hello, it is wonderful you had the whole family together for Christmas. Your grandsons are so handsome and growing fast. Wonderful photos. Have a happy day and week ahead!

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  6. Oh I know exactly how you feel Diane. We had my son, wife and two grandchildren to stay for a week over Christmas and as exhausted as we were after a week of very early rises and much 'playing' we felt so sad seeing them off at the airport 😐 Thank heavens for Skype!

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  7. What fun, to have them all there together! I do like TOH's Christmas shirt.

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  8. Lovely to see everyone again. The boys have really grown up!

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  9. How nice for you. Our celebration with entire family was only 1 day, the 17th. Both daughters married men from GA so the ones that live in NH drove here and then flew to GA, returning here on the 25th and then home the 26th. The local daughter and family drove to GA on the 22nd, and returned home on the 27th. Luckily we had them for brunch on New Years Day so got to spend more time with 5 mo. old granddaughter.

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  10. Diane you have a lovely family. How wonderful you all get to spend Christmas eve together and part of Christmas Day. Happy New Year in 2018!

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  11. Lovely family photos to of course be cherished.
    Sound as if you all had a wonderful Christmas Eve - and we too did the same thing this year, then out to dinner Christmas night with eldest daughter in laws along with her parents.
    Good to have hugs :)

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  12. What a wonderful family Christmas! For years I've done Christmas on the evening of the 24th. Originally so my mum could spend Xmas day with her friends and in more recent years so the girls can celebrate with partners' families on Xmas Day. Happy New Year!

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  13. The boys are growing up. Glad you had a lovely Christmas with all the family.

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  14. How wonderful that your family could spend Christmas with you. That is a rare treat nowadays.

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  15. What an awesome Christmas you had with the family... I love HUGS also --and don't get to see my kids/grands as often as I'd like. BUT---those virtual hugs are good too...

    Happy New Year... Hope 2018 finds you two happy and healthy.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  16. Thanks, Diane, for sharing the Christmas spent with family and how wonderful that everyone came to your new home. Your grandsons are certainly growing taller every time I see a photo post, just like our grandchildren in RI, who we haven't seen yet to exchange gifts.

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  17. A lovely Christmas with your family and lovely photos of all the "kids".

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  18. A perfect Christmas!! We always used to share the Holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) that way so our grown kids could enjoy their other families as well. It is definitely the best way. The boys are growing so fast! And are so handsome. Happy New Year!! .

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  19. I know how precious those grandson hugs are, Diane! It looked like a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at your house. Hope you and your family have a very happy and healthy New Year!

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  20. What a delightful family Christmas. Treasured hugs and seeing the joy on your grandsons faces as they opened their presents are priceless moments. Wishing you a healthy and happy 2018.

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