The Reality Of A Roff’s Christmas

Now I love my family and Christmas Day is always amazing but let me be clear, the days leading up to it is crazy, chaotic, loud, full of arguments, exhausting, and well the list could go on and on. We always have a merry Christmas but with 10 family members in one house, it's bound to get a little intense at times and yet it is always my favourite time of the year.

Let's start with the exhausting and frustrating truth of decorating the house. Starting with a full deep clean of the house, Then I get all the boxes out and put up the front room garlands, the kitchen garlands, the conservatory garlands, the stair garlands, the front room trees, the conservatory trees, the conservatory arch and all the lights. I know what you're all thinking is that all? No, there is more, After that I get the rest of the ornaments out for around the house, put up the wreaths and then my niece and nephew help put the decorations on the trees. I know WOW! That is Christmas crazy but me and my mum are Christmas crazy, and can you really call it fun if at the end of it all you're not laying on the floor knackered from trying not to break any baubles, getting sore hands from doing the trees, garlands and arch, sweating hot and can barley breath from carrying a billion boxes into the house and your arms aching so much from holding things up and whilst your head is spinning after going round in circles with lights, ‘na’ that's all the best parts ‘jokes’ I’m being extremely sarcastic, it's a lot but the results are worth it all.

I've always enjoyed Christmas traditions, Quality time with the family, watching my mum's favourite Christmas movie Scrooge EVERY SINGLE YEAR! Yes, it can be very tedious at times but it reminds mum of her dad so of course, I will continue to always watch scrooge with her. Another is not a tradition, but ever since I can remember me and my sister Charley would love to sing the song Fairytale of New York from the top of our lungs. Then theirs Christmas Eve; The whole family opens one present each which is usually matching PJs of some funny or cute design and then do a little family photoshoot cause ‘yes’ we are that kind of family. And I can't forget to mentioning of my favourite traditions, Just after Christmas me and my sisters take our niece and nephews Ice skating which is always amusing as I’m the only one who can ice skate so I have to take turns holding them up and gliding them around the rink so they are not tightly clinging to the sides the entire time ‘haha’.

Food! I can't even begin to explain how much I love eating at Christmas time so I’m just gonna name the essentials, Christmas roast dinner, after eights that always get eaten before eight and Full veggie English breaky. My mum loves the traditional mince pies and Christmas pudding, but I’m all about the chocolate puddings and jam roly-poly with custard ‘hmm yummy’. Me and dad enjoy tucking into a cheese board with crackers and chutney (The 3 C’s) and the whole family loves digging into a tub of quality streets, my favourites have to be strawberry cream, orange cream and toffee pennies which takes me back to many happy memories sitting eating them with my nanny, It's a bittersweet thing. I miss her every day but the memories I have with her, I will always treasure and continue to buy them every Christmas.

I am such a big kid at Christmas time. I love all the Christmas lights, snowball fights, Christmas music playing everywhere, the gift giving, the food, the traditions, all of it. But, When I became an auntie almost 12 years ago, ‘wow 12 years ago where has the time gone’ anyway it gave me a whole new reason to love Christmas as well as new traditions and many festive fun activities that came with it. However, the best part has to be seeing my niece and nephew's faces on Christmas Day unwrapping their presents, playing with their new toys, eating Christmas dinner and playing Christmas games, I love them so much and spending every Christmas with them makes me so happy. It's also my birthday on boxing day so double celebrations, more prezzies, Cake time and double the fun.

One of my most beautiful traditions is all about Prezzies; Of course, everyone loves receiving gifts but I also love giving and every year me and my family go to the wishing tree. You don’t know what the wishing tree is? The wishing tree is all about making sure every child has a present at Christmas, I collect donations for the cause if you want to check it out click this link to learn more and/or donate.

Being in a long-distance relationship can sometimes suck and we are going to be spending it with our own families on Christmas Day. Being 5 hours away from each other, so we had our own little Christmas at his families 1 week before Christmas Day. With our own matching pj's, hot chocolate, Christmas movies, tree decorating and more it was great! And he will be driving all the way to mine, just so he can celebrate my birthday and New Year's Eve with me and my family, which is perfect.

Christmas is more than just giving gifts and putting up decorations. Its family, Its crazy, and chaotic, it is love, its happiness, it's making memories, its real, its fun, it's humbling and yes it's a little challenging at times, but I love it. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, maybe fewer arguments ‘haha’.

Merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year!