Don't be fooled. Inside this thin coating of sweetness is a fiery core of total insanity.

Sunday, December 25, 2016

A Long Time Ago in a Land Far, Far Away

At Christmastime, people often look back at previous Chrismases and share memories of people and events thst were fun. I thought I'd share a Christmas that happened when our son Iain was little.

We spent Christmas in England with Nigel's parents in 1985 when Iain was 3 years old. Here are  some photos from that Christmas day.

"Santa came!" -- Oops, sorry "Father Christmas came!"

"Open it, Dad!"

Sitting in Nigel's mum's lap

Playing with noisemakers on the stairs with Nigel's dad

About to pull a Christmas cracker

I don't know what they're both looking at, but they're very engrossed in whatever it is

I think back on that time now with incredulity. I was almost 30, and I had decided I wanted to know what an English Christmas was like, so that I could understand what kind of celebration my husband had grown up with. So we basically invaded my in-law's home for the entire month of December.

I am now the age they were then. I can't imagine what it would be like to have house guests with a young child running amok in my house for an entire month now that I'm in my 60s. I thought I was doing them a great favor, letting them get to know their grandson better, as he was being raised so far away in the U.S. I realize now how stressful it must have been for them.

Perspective is everything.