For some people Christmas at home with just your immediate family sounds heavenly, but for me I know I’m going to miss my extended family immensely.

Since we moved into our home in 2004 we’ve always hosted Christmas Dinner. It’s mainly been for my family as we always spend Boxing Day with Rob’s family, (luckily a conversation we’ve never had to have – who to have Christmas dinner with, as it’s a given) but this year it’s just the five of us and my heart aches at the thought.

I know it’s silly because we will all be able to have a really relaxed, chilled day and we’ll all have a great time regardless, but I can’t help thinking it’ll feel like a normal Sunday. Actually scrap that our Sundays are spent watching the boys play football, so not quite like a normal Sunday freezing on the sidelines, but a rare Sunday for us at home.

For me Christmas Day signifies family arriving, me scurrying around in the kitchen finishing dinner, Rob on drinks (and battery) duty (it doesn’t matter how many you buy you never have enough), the children playing with their new gifts, and then everybody all squishing around the table, grabbing chairs where they can, to eat a dinner scheduled for 2pm at 3pm! Drinks are flowing, toasts are made and laughter is had before we all reside to the living room to start the board game marathon.

I know the children look forward to having the family around just as much as me, showing off their new gifts and getting us all on the floor playing with them. It’s all part of the Christmas excitement isn’t it, I just hope we’ll be enough for them more than anything…

When the boys were very young we decided to have a quiet Christmas just the four of us, I wasn’t apprehensive about it at all and quite looking forward to it being just us, until we were there experiencing it. Again it wasn’t that we didn’t have a nice time, it just felt like something was missing and I vowed I would never do it again.

Alas here we are having another Christmas alone. Who knows, it may be SO brilliant, we may decide this is how we’d like to spend our Christmases from here on. I doubt it though! Plus there’s the added bonus of not having to cook a turkey and all the trimmings.

What are your plans for Christmas Day this year, are you hosting, going it alone or visiting family? Did you have to have the awkward conversation on which side of the family to spend the day with? The dynamics can get rather messy can’t they…

Styling by The Wedding Stylist
Photography by Dominique Bader
Cake by Floury
Flowers by Floribunda Rose