Christmas Present

My daughter Charis has aspirations to train as a medic. To show our support for her noble ambition, we decided to buy her a full sized anatomical skeleton for Christmas. We ordered it online and it arrived in a large box which would look impressive wrapped.

We didn't wrap it.

We opened it, assembled it and hung it from its mobile stand.

Then we wrapped it.

Obviously, this all had to be done after Charis had retired to her room on Christmas Eve (it would have been impossible to conceal in all its full height glory). We were performing a wrapping operation that was more akin to a mummification at 1o'clock on Christmas morning. It was a delicate procedure and I felt that I had properly earned the freshly laundered sheets on my bed and the bottle of champagne that was chilling in an ice bucket upstairs.

Thankfully, we didn't have a ridiculously early start on Christmas morning... in fact Dylan had a good sleep in, albeit at the bottom of my bed (perhaps he appreciates the fresh sheet sensation too)

I hadn't gone overboard with stocking presents this year as I usually do but my parents had stuffed stockings full for each of my children. While they sat on my bed making new discoveries with every dip inside, I was able to wake up gently with a cup of tea.

Breakfast of warm bread and Bucks Fizz made from leftover champagne got my day off to a great start. There were presents aplenty to be unwrapped and played with and a Christmas dinner for seven that would easily have fed twice that many.

I do regret not getting out of the house for a post dinner walk at the very least to combat the familiar Xmas bloating but the weather was dull and drizzly and not very inviting. Dull and drizzly and mild so I missed having the fire ablaze. We did try it briefly but everyone started to overheat. I lit candles instead.

Everyone loved their presents (always a relief). Addy's gift of a nurse's outfit and medical bag from her Grandma and Grandpa may sow the early seeds for her to follow in her big sister's Doctor footsteps.

If you are wondering what Charis thought of her unusually wrapped gift.... let's say she was more than a little bit pleased!