Christmas surprise

Date: 19 December 2007 23:55:34

There's something rather magical about smuggling a huge, real Christmas tree into the new dining room through the rather convenient french windows under cover of darkness.
Smudgelet and Tiddles think this: is our tree this year but actually it's just a chance to have lights showing through our new front-door window and to distract visitors' attention away from the unfinished wetroom which I'm using as a store room at the moment.

But once they were both in bed (alas, my teenager no longer goes off to be so conveniently early!), I was able to do my smuggling trick. It's now in pride of place in the new room, fully decorated and with lovely lights aglow. It's got my favourite decorations on it, a fimo nativity set in bright colours and with such attractive designs. I must take a photo of those. I had to put the decorations fairly high on the tree to discourage Charlie, but he had other ideas than simply chasing baubles - he walked straight in and settled himself down to sleep contentedly under the tree.

The boy is delighted with his new room, even though it isn't yet finished and has loads of boxes stored along one side of it. He's installed himself and settled in.

As for me, I'm still frantically trying to rediscover my lounge and my bedroom (especially the latter before Saturday... if you're reading this, Melangell, you will have a bed to sleep in, I promise!!!) but am utterly delighted finally to have reached the work surfaces and floor after hours of excavation in the kitchen....
I took photos so that I would remember what it looked like before my brother returns and work recommences in January.

Thank you those of you who have been praying for Smudgelet in his round of misery. He stayed home from school yesterday and it was good to spend that time with him, talking and working together. He didn't totally open up, but we were able to talk through one area that was bugging him, which was friendships. He's delighted today to have his brother back too, and to have some lights for his mini Christmas tree courtesy of his wonderful honorary auntie M. I can guess at much of what's going on inside but doubt I'll ever really know. I just pray that God will grant him some peace and a real sense of joy as Christmas approaches.

Goodness, look at the time - I think I should be in bed, don't you?