If its anything to go by, our future Decembers will never be the same again, and it will only get busier. Not to mention expenses will spike every November/ December for us, and as Edina mentioned to me this morning, K and I probably have to save up from every September to cushion our Christmas and birthday season. Very true!
It has been busy in a good way of course. So get ready for a long post!
The Christmas Tree
Believe it or not, we have never got a Christmas tree in our house during Christmas. Ever. It might come as a surprise to you, knowing how much I love, love, love Christmas, but I don't know, every time I think about taking down the tree and all the work involved, I always am happy to give it a miss. Don't get me wrong, I still put up other Christmas decor, such as a garland on our fireplace, a wreath on our front door, and other small bits and pieces in the house, all which are easy to take down and keep for the next year.
 |
| Izzy saw this tree in a pub and couldn't stop admiring it |
Of course now with Isabelle and another along the way, things are a bit different. Isabelle has been fascinated with all things Christmas since end October (when I first introduced her to Jingle Bells) and since then she would exclaim loudly "Oh, Christmas tree!" or "Oh! Santa Claus!" when we see them outside. Ikea is doing a really good deal at the moment. Spend £29 on a real tree regardless of size, and get a £20 voucher back to be used in Jan/Feb next year. Why not? And so on the last weekend of November, we went to pick our real tree and all associated ornaments. Oh so fun!
 |
| Pick any one for £29 |
Daddy Ong did most of the work, we have to give him the credit, since mama Ong can't move much these days, and Izzy Ong just danced around shouting in glee, not entirely sure what's going on but she could sense the anticipation in the air.
 |
| Putting on the tree topper |
Presenting our first ever Christmas tree!
 |
Complete with red and gold ornaments, and fairy lights of course
So glad the red tree skirting which I got from H&M many years ago could finally come in handy |
Christmas meal at the Ong's
We started our first December weekend hosting our usual "Christmas at the Ong's" meal. Of course, with a toddler now having nap time and bedtime to consider, plus our guest list this year is coincidentally kids free, K decided on a Christmas lunch. It was a small and cosy lunch, around our dining table and ooh did I also mention we have our very first real Christmas tree up this year? ;)
Noelle kindly bought a Christmas cake, which also doubled up as Isabelle's birthday cake and so she got to blow some candles for her birthday for the first time this year.
K pre ordered the raw food from M&S - our usual fav beef sirloin, pork belly with stuffing, pulled pork on some crumpet-like bread as starters, some roasted vegetables, and he made two versions of salad which went down really well with the guests. He rushed to collect the food in the morning, came home, and did all the roasting and cooking for 8 people which was very impressive, whilst I was trying to get Isabelle to nap upstairs.
 |
| Look at that crackling |
Christmas Lights
Daddy Ong was very keen to bring Isabelle to see some Christmas lights this year, and kept googling on the best place to bring her. Problem is, most of the nice places in London are all in the West, which is very far for us. However one Saturday we decided to take the train into Sloane Square/ otherwise known as Chelsea to see some Christmas lights. I love that area but can't remember the last time I was there. It's too posh for us, we joke. Even the air smells posh lol. In fact I was half expecting to see Pippa Middleton walk down the street when we were there.
 |
| Izzy was happy to take the train. She kept saying "I like!" |
Since it gets dark at 3ish in the afternoon, it wasn't that bad timing wise for us to visit and also get back in time for Isabelle's bedtime by 8pm.
 |
| The Saatchi Gallery |
 |
| A roadside florist |
We walked down Kings Road, past all the shops and saw the lovely decor including a huge tree and huge wreaths outside the Saatchi Gallery. For some reason, there was an exhibition going on that day which attracted a long snaking queue outside. Oh and there was an open air market in the Duke of York Square which was really nice. The Christmas spirit was definitely in the air.
We sat down to have coffee and cake in this restaurant, where Isabelle had her own drink in the form of babyccino, which essentially is warm milk.
 |
| Reminds me of the "Got Milk" campaign years ago |
Santa's Grotto
Never ending it seems, isn't it? It is a tradition for almost every family to bring the kids to see Santa every year and if you remember, last year I drove 45min on narrow country roads, and brought Isabelle to see Santa at Hever Castle. That is still probably my bravest drive to date. She wailed and cried in Santa's arms, frightening Santa himself. He kept wanting to pass her back to me, whilst I insisted on a photo at least:
We wondered how her reaction would be this year. To be honest, I wasn't impressed by Santa's Grotto at Hever Castle and so this year we chose Bluewater, my fav shopping centre in this part of town. It was definitely more to do compared to Hever Castle, although it was only a quick 15min in total. We were ushered into the grotto where they told the story of the nutcracker, then ushered into another room akin to Santa's Workshop where we did a quick crafting session (a tree ornament). Next was a family photo opportunity with the nutcracker, and finally with the big guy himself, Santa. Isabelle refused to go near him and looked very suspicious and scared at the same time. It was so funny to see her muttering "no scared, no scared" to psyche herself up.
 |
| Arriving |
 |
| Looking bit worried? |
 |
| In Santa's workshop |
 |
| Daddy doing the craft |
 |
| Finished product |
 |
| With the nutcracker |
 |
| Finally, with Santa. Look at Izzy's face! |
 |
| We bought our pic contained in a bauble so we can hang it on our tree at home |
Phew, I think I managed to blog about the main activities which took place every weekend for the past one month. Tomorrow we will be doing a small birthday party at ours for Isabelle. Hopefully I will have some time to blog about it before the baby comes!
If I do not manage to blog, then here is wishing you an early
Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!
Love, K, Bel & bump, and Isabelle
Comments