Peaceful Christmas

is what we've had and I wish the same for everyone else too!

Following the Finnish customs we already celebrated Christmas yesterday (24th). I spent most of the day cooking but in a nice leasurely way without stress. I made some Finnish Christmas yummy food and we had my parents-in-law over for dinner.

After dinner the kids got some presents and then we just sat there chatting away and the kids went about playing with their new things. They each got a new towel (which they were surprisingly excited about), Barbapapa placemats, books (about different kind of people for the girl and about children's songs with a CD for the boy) and then there was a red skirt for the girl and a superman cape for the boy made by grandma (now back in Finland). Their grandparents also gave them plastic mobile phones that make all kinds of horrid sounds (and really loud too). Something I wouldn't have picked for them but they haven't let them go since they received them so now I'm just waiting for the batteries to run out...

Husband also made the kids a sandbox in the front yard. It's something we've been talking about for ages and suddenly on December 24th he got the inspiration to make one. And it was done in some 15 minutes! We had an old wooden window that made a perfect lid for the sandbox; this way our dogs and stray cats won't make the sand dirty.

This morning has been mellow and nice. The kids are enjoying a bath in the paddling pool in the front yard and they will want to use their new towels when they get out of the water... We'll stuff ourselves with Christmas dinner leftovers for lunch and visit my in-laws in the afternoon. In the evening there's a Christmas special at church.