A wonderful Christmas with a special gift

Towards the end of our stay in England there had been some wild weather so we were looking forward to a boisterous crossing on the car ferry from Dover to Calais. 

Our predictions were right – there was a big sea up and our ferry rocked and rolled all the way. Of course we loved it but we noticed a few people looking queasy and one little kid was seasick!

After we had spent the night in Calais we headed back to our daughter and son-in-law’s (Hannah and Pieter’s) place in Pijnacker in the Netherlands. 

We arrived back just in time to help them choose a beautiful Christmas tree for their home. There were many gorgeous specimens but we bought the very best of the bunch!

It was really special being in the northern hemisphere for the run up to Christmas as the cold and dark weather really makes you want to spend cosy evenings dressing the Christmas tree and arranging decorations with lots of sparking lights. 

While we were away, a Christmas tree and other festive decorations had been put up at the local shops and town square – they all looked so lovely! 

Every time we went to the shops there was something festive going on – brass bands, (even a Charles Dickens Band!) dancers, stilt walkers, kids crowding around a brazier toasting marshmallows – all very Christmassy. 

One day we went into Delft to do some Christmas shopping and to admire the huge tree in the town square. 

The week before Christmas we celebrated Jonathan’s birthday – Hannah and Pieter put up birthday bunting and ordered a special birthday cake.

Sarah and Ben joined with Hannah and Pieter to treat us to a fabulous meal at the local Italian restaurant – it was a wonderful night!

The next few days were a blur of wrapping gifts and stocking up on food for Christmas. 

Christmas Day was a great day of feasting and gift opening.

It was a really fun day and we were so thrilled to be sharing it not only with Hannah and Pieter but also a special gift this year – our beautiful first grandchild!