Christmas 2020, Centre Parcs, Ireland

 We made it to Centre Parcs, Ireland! With all the changes due to COVID in the weeks leading up to Christmas, we were very unsure as to whether we would be able to go but I remained hopeful. It took us awhile to unwind, to put COVID and restrictions to the back of our minds, if that is really possible...but it was lovely to be away, a change of scene and no jobs to be done. Centre Parcs is not quite the same without the swimming pool and activities but it is still a beautiful place to walk, ride our bikes and chill out.

Christmas at Centre Parcs, Longford, Ireland

We decided to do something a little different for Christmas this year and headed to the newly opened Centre Parcs, Longford, Ireland. We had a super time and are already considering booking for next year. The set up at Centre Parcs really suits us as a family. There is lots to do for all ages. It is active and outdoors but also plenty to do if the weather is not so favourable. We all loved their winter wonderland displays which made it all feel really Christmassy.

Run up to Christmas 2019

Ezra’s first nativity at Nursery. With a cough and streaming nose he played his role as shepherd with extreme cuteness!

Calvin doing a little Christmas colouring.

My first attempt at making a Christmas wreath for our front door.

Lj performing with all the sass, as ginger spice at her Christmas school concert.

Slower days

I think I mentioned in my last post that this has been an unusual sort of Christmas for us as we have stayed home. Two weeks at home, with M off work (mainly), packing up our house in preparation for 3 months in India and radiators being installed in our house while we are away. But there is only so much packing and tidying you can do in a day so our free time has been filled with little trips to town, to the forest and catching up with friends. When the kids have gone to bed I have enjoyed a couple of great books and movies.

An early Christmas

As M’s parents came to visit the weekend before Christmas we decided to have an early Christmas. We had a lovely day. M cooked dinner and afterwards we went for a walk in Gosford Forest park.

Advent is over

I spent a lot of advent keeping this boy out of the advent calendars with varying success. He consumed a lot of chocolate in 24 days.

Reusable Christmas present sacks

I made sacks like these for MJ and Lj years ago. As I started sorting and wrapping presents for this year I realised I could really do with sacks for Ezra and Calvin. It was a friend who gave me the elf fabric and thankfully there was plenty left to make two more. I would love to have time to make sacks for all the people we give to each year. It would be more eco friendly and save me wrapping time! One to think about for next year!

Christmas 2017

It will soon be a month since Christmas but 'better late than never'. Here are a few pics to summarize our week in Chester. I got a new phone for Christmas so I'm really hoping I take more and better photos in 2018.

Christmas 2016

Lj wrote a great report of our Christmas, a daily guide of what we did, in her school book. Annoyingly I didn't scan it before it was returned to school but if it comes home again I will scan it and add it to this post. Ultimately we had a lovely Christmas in Chester, Bromsgrove and the Coltswolds with the Carrier/Snowden/Haigh family.