At the start of the festive season or maybe even earlier in fact, I wrote a post about what mine and toddler P’s Christmas family traditions will be. I also set out and made myself a promise to enjoy this Christmas and as I stated earlier, even flu didn’t spoil it this year. We’ve had a ball, we’ve set some new traditions and reinstated old.

Some we’ve not been able to follow through due to both of us taking it in turns being poorly such as our Christmas Eve mother and daughter brunch. But that’s fine, best laid plans and all, sometimes things have to change, especially to accommodate germs, coughs and sneezes. However we were able to choose a new Christmas decoration for the tree, make our own cards, gift tags and home baked presents together. We’ve been able to fill stockings, have a Christmas/winter themes book per day for advent. We’ve managed to avoid the horror of elf on a shelf and enjoy warm cocoa (proper cocoa and not hot chocolate) whilst watching The Muppets Christmas Carol. I’ve made it tradition for Santa to put an orange, chocolate coins and pennies for her money box in her stocking.

What’s really been nice this year as been the reinstatement of some true family M traditions. It’s been lovely to bring them back to the forefront and reminisce over the good times as well as the truly shit Christmases we had!!

It all started with the champagne breakfast and a variety pack, that’s right a Kellogg’s variety pack. After waking early doors I grew up with mum making a traditional full English and the adults sipping Buck’s Fizz, orange juice for me from one of the not so expensive champagne flutes. We did the same this year, however the rest of the family used to have a grapefruit starter whilst I was treated to my choice from a variety pack. So in honour, this year toddler P chose from an array of mini cereal boxes.

To be honest I’m waffling and digressing, the importance of what traditions we re-started is not important. What is, is that we did them? Or is it? Actually the traditions are important, what we actually decided to restart is important because it’s those acts that made this Christmas so bloody good! It’s the second Christmas Day we host in New Year’s Day with another roast dinner, dressed table and Christmas crackers to pull. The annual family curry on New Year’s Eve (not sure how traditional this actually is and it may actually be a new one but hey ho). These things all spark memories of Poppa M and him being the missing piece but fondly thought of despite some of the crappy things he did.

Poppa M’s memory has been well and truly lived this Christmas with toddler P’s new found addiction to the original Disney’s Jungle Book (must we watch it every day…) she loves the monkeys singing “oobe doo” and has intently watched singing along all Christmas. It was Poppa M’s fave and me and him regularly re-enacted the scene with the vultures, so it’s special to me that she likes it. I often wonder if some of him has been reborn in her due to some of her quirks and habits.

One special moment this Christmas though was settling down to the New Year’s Eve Indian spread, teaching toddler P how to eat curry properly, folding her parathas in one hand and using them to scoop up the keema. She looked so cute as her little chubby toddler fingers filled her flaky bread pouch and she stuffed her face full of traditional spicy meat. She took to the Gujarati traditions with gusto, wolfing down the pakoras, rice and curry, listening as I showed her how to eat one handedly without cutlery. It was the one time this Christmas that I felt a pang of, “Pops should be here for this”.

So I’m going to keep in with tradition, the new ones me and toddler p are setting and the ones me and Granny T are reinstating. Memories and special moments, traditions and fun have made this Christmas a truly special one. Team M all the way.