We played some fun games including one that featured trying to flip a card into a cup with a chopstick (yes really) and getting up from a sitting position on the floor whilst balancing a plastic cup on your head.
Then there was the poo head game where lumps of Velcro poo were lobbed at somebody wearing a special Velcro hat ( just don't ask). Then we had another fun game where a question is asked and one person has to give the correct answer while everyone else gives made up ones and the guesser gets a point for every incorrect answer they find but then loses all their points if they find the right answer and claim it's incorrect. You can bank your points at any time. This brought up a few very vague facts. For instance according to the game it's illegal in Australia to dress up as Batman or so the game said. A check on the Internet proved pretty inconclusive on this point. There has always been a suggestion that mince pies were banned in England under Cromwell and that this ban has never been rescinded. Apparently this is a myth. You can eat mince pies at Christmas to your heart's content, indeed I thought it was compulsory.
We ended Christmas Day with a game of triominoes which is a version of dominoes with triangular shaped pieces. It's a very good game even if it was a case of playing all the right rules but not necessarily in the right order. I think now we have most of them worked out. I like simple games and hate ones where the rules get so complex that you just can't follow them.
Hugely grateful to our son, daughter in law and grandkiddles for hosting and putting up with us this year.
Before going to theirs we had our usual Christmas morning breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toast. This year left out the Prosecco as I was driving late morning. We did go to the Methodist Church for a relatively short Christmas morning celebration. Unfortunately there were only about 20 there which made it feel a trifle flat (and I'm not talking about the Christmas lunch dessert).
Pre Christmas the village churches were very much thriving. The Methodist Church was rammed for the Christingle Service and the parish church was full for the Christmas Eve crib service- both of which were very lively affairs.
Talking of which the new look to our Good News magazine seems to have gone down well. We now have a bright and colourful new cover. Inside the content is pretty much the same but we are pleased with the cover and the overall feel of the magazine.
Going back to Christmas Day at the Methodist Church, it was a tradition for many years for those attending to go next door for a drink with the Bakers. This was always something to look forward to and something that I still miss now it is no longer possible and I must never lose sight of the fact that with the grandchildren now 11 and eight these are the great family days that we will always remember.
We have spent Christmases all over the place. For many years we spent them in Yorkshire - usually hiring a house or flat in York. Last year we had a few days in York with our other son and his then partner ( now his wife). Alicia was pregnant but things didn't go well and they lost the baby. Now a year on they have our gorgeous granddaughter Lyla.
I was thinking a few days ago how 2023 will be remembered by us for two very happy events and one sad one already mentioned. The happy events were the wedding and the birth and those aren't things that you enjoy very often so it's very special when they do come together.
And so we came to Boxing Day. We started it in a strange bed. Well there wasn't anything strange about the bed itself, so that's rather an incorrect statement. I purely meant we weren't in our usual bed at home. Grandson Elliot had kindly vacated his for the night so we could stay and not worry about alcohol consumption. I believe I had two glasses of fizz, a glass of red wine, a bottle of beer and a g and t. Nothing excessive but a lot for a lightweight like myself.
Woke up early so started writing a blog, having lots of things to write about. After a lovely breakfast we took granddog Reggie out for a walk and then loaded up the car and drove home which took all of eight minutes.
Spent much of the rest of the day watching television, which is something I wouldn't normally do. I would usually get on with some writing etc but just occasionally it's good to veg out, although not too often.
Speak to you tomorrow.