Handmade Christmas

As ever, the gifts made by the children were my personal highlight of Christmas day. Compared to their innovative ideas, the gift catalogues that filled our mailbox (we've yet to put up a new No Junk Mail sign since replacing the fence) were mundane at best.

Ruby's scroll for Craig

Ruby's book for Lily

Grace's robots for Ruby

Nina's slingshot for Craig

Ruby's reindeer for me

Grace's gift to me

Ruby made Craig a Chinese-style scroll portrait with the mandarin characters for 'Best Daddy'.
She made Lily a scratch and feel book all about the present that Lily would get for Christmas.  Ruby's gorgeous books for Lily have not always been appreciated by their recipient, but this one was.
Grace made Ruby a robot in a robot in a robot in a robot which Ruby oohed and aahed over appropriately.
Nina made Craig a miniature slingshot complete with instructions: put rock in, pull back elastic and rock, let go.  The whole thing is about the size of a 5 cent piece.
She also wrote me a classic Nina poem:
Christmas
Christmas is coming, it's very close
The Christmas tree is up 
and this year I want a pup!
The house is decorated for the season,
I love Christmas and here's the reason:
The gifts, the food, the fun and santa
Family and all the fanta!
I can't wait for Christmas eve,
And guess who's coming, Uncle Steave!
Then what a treat, it's X-mas day
and there I'll see Mad Aunt May!
And guess what May, me and Matilda
We all vote for St Killda!
I can't wait for Christmas day
To see Matilda and Aunt May,
pups and toys, food and gifts, seeing santa,
Drining fanta, lollies and uncle Steave
And everything on Christmas eve!
(all spelling and punctuation faithfully replicated)

Ruby made me the rather adorable pipecleaner and painted cotton reel reindeer.  But for sheer originality, I can't go past my genius-use-of-recycling gift from Grace.  You could tell it was a colander, couldn't you?

It was a lovely day.  Everything went smoothly, except the pork which was a little tardy getting roasted.  Lamb cutlets and prawns tided us over.  The weather was perfect for dining outside, and, thanks to the efforts of my mother and mother-in-law I had zero washing up or putting away to do.  I just got to do all the fun bits of Christmas day.

So that's Christmas, until next year.