Before I woke them up I put all the little gifts I'd bought them into their stockings and prepared a bottle of Champagne and some chocolate Florentines that I'd bought in Lidl a fair while ago. I put a programme on the TV about the reindeer in Lapland and we were all set to go!
We had a great time opening presents and Mike was really pleased with his new turntable. Phew! That was a relief!
A lot of our presents seemed to be either alcoholic or foodie! I was thrilled to receive some Gordon's Sloe Gin and a bottle of wine, as well as a fantastic spice rack (our spice cupboard is now overflowing!) and a Champagne Brunch Cruise around San Francisco Bay to look forward to! As well as some nightwear, dollars and my usual £50 note I was delighted! Sophie also bought me a very posh bottle of olive oil and a copy of The Hairy Bikers' British Classics recipe book. I can't wait to try them out with her on a Sunday evening! Everyone seemed really happy with their gifts and the living room was awash with wrapping paper and boxes!
Once we had cleared everything up it was time for showers as Keith and Mike were off to the pub for a quick pint and Sophie and I were going to go and fetch my Mum and Dad as we were a bit worried about my Dad driving home later in the day. It meant he could have a few glasses of wine and Sophie had very kindly offered to drive them home this evening.
Luckily I took my car to get them, as they had two huge crates of presents and I just about managed to get them in the boot! They were in high spirits and looking forward to the second round of gift opening and a turkey dinner!
The weather had improved slightly since first thing this morning and I think the sun was attempting to peek through the clouds. We arrived home, got Mum and Dad settled with a drink and I went back out to get Keith and Mike from the pub which was busy with pre-Christmas lunch drinkers.
Back home we opened all of our presents and my Mum became very emotional when we gave her the photo of the children on Sophie's graduation day. She was also thrilled with her Mason's china urn, so that was good! I had also bought them tickets to go and see Abigail's Party at Derngate in March and they were really pleased with that!
The children were showered with gifts such as underwear, nightwear and smellies and Keith and I also received a beautiful hamper stuffed with delicious foods. We have done really well this year!
As soon as the presents had been opened, Keith, Sophie and Mike disappeared into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Our turkey had been cooking since 10am this morning and smelled delicious. Sophie had taken the bacon off the top and had chopped it up to add to the stuffing.
I relaxed in the living room (as planned) with a glass of Sherry and watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers along with my parents. I didn't hear any swearing coming from the kitchen, no arguments and nobody stormed off in a strop, so it was all going very well!
We had planned to eat at 2.30pm and dinner was served on time! As our table is a bit small, we got Mum and Dad seated and I dished up their lunch in the kitchen, which was a lot easier. Keith, Sophie and Mike had done a fantastic job with dinner and the meal was probably the best we'd ever had. The turkey was moist and juicy and we enjoyed stuffing balls, chipolatas wrapped in bacon, roast parsnips, roast potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and green beans as well as sprouts which had been pan-fried in butter and served with bacon. The gravy was lovely and I was very proud of the three of them for making such a good job of the meal. We agreed that Keith trying to do it on his own was too much, so maybe this is the way forward in the future?
We left a decent interval before dessert and ate my chocolate bread and butter pudding or Christmas pudding at about 5.30pm while watching the Strictly Christmas show. The desserts were lovely enjoyed with a small bottle of white Port I'd bought in Aldi.
By now we were all as stuffed as could be and Keith, Mum and Dad fell asleep! By 6.30pm my parents were ready to go home so I went with Sophie to take them back. It was a bit misty and damp outside and the roads were surprisingly busy!
Back home I changed into my new pyjamas and curled up on the sofa to watch a great programme about Tommy Cooper. Mike went out to see some friends in the village but was soon back and I think he fell asleep...it's no wonder with the amount of beer he drank today!
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