Merry Christmas to everyone who reads my blog! Hope you have a lovely day whether you celebrate the festive season or not.

I’ve had a rather wonderful Christmas Eve. Firstly I recieved the Kreativ Blogger Award from Katie McCullough (I’ll follow up with a post on it after Christmas). Secondly I was made up to hear my friend proposed to my other friend! They met at my Birthday party two and a half years ago and though we knew that he’d pop the question sooner or later it’s no less exciting!!! I am so happy for them, and looking forward to the wedding planning ahead! They live over in Sydney at the moment so it’ll be a while until I get to give them hugs in person, and admire her Tiffany engagement ring!

Today’s ‘Five…‘ has a rather predictable Christmas theme to share with you the wonders of my Christmas Day!

1. Christmas Eve
We have a Christmas Eve tradition that has evolved over the years but always involves dinner at one of mum & dad’s best friends. The great thing is that it means I’m guaranteed to get to see my friend, their daughter, Lucy every Christmas Eve and my friend Dave too (they got married this year – another couple who met through me, I have a better success rate than match.com!!!) There’s always lovely food, conversation and a silly game or two, usually including an epic quiz of the year. This year I invested in Trivial Pursuit, which provided the necessary levels of discussion, giggling and completely wrong answers! It was ‘juveniles’ vs ‘oldies’ and we won! This is followed by my yearly topping up of Catholic guilt at midnight mass, the carols from 11.30pm are lovely though.

Also in the past few years from lunchtime onwards I keep my nearest and dearest updated on Santa’s progress by following the NORAD Santa Tracker

2. Christmas Morning
There has always been a rule in our house that you have to eat breakfast before presents are opened, though my first present was always a box of Coco Pops (I had to have sensible cereals throughout the rest of the year!). Now we’re older it has got later as we wait until my sister and niece arrive. Nothing in the way of present opening commences prior to 11am, which makes it perfect timing for Bucks Fizz & Mince Pies too! This is the Thornber household so of course there is order in the chaos!

3. Top of the Pops
I’m so glad TOTP still exists in Christmas form. TV is pretty much ignore until 2pm as I blast Christmas music through the house, but TOTP is a good transistion from music to TV… and these days lets me know exactly how out of touch I am with the charts. I just hope I don’t say “Who?” too often!

4. Christmas Dinner
There’s only five of us so of course we cook enough to feed ten. I say ‘we’ I actually mean Mum & Dad. The weekly Sunday Roast is always Dad’s domain so of course with both parents in the kitchen there is usually at least one argument that is hilarious for the onlooker. Sis and I pitch in by setting the table and selecting the wine, and of course by demolishing the fantastic food and saying a big “Thank you!” This year Mum has decided we won’t pretend it will be on the table for lunchtime and deliberately plan for it to be in the region of 3-4pm… I think this is a dangerous move and hope to be proved wrong and eating before 7pm! As long as there are pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce all will be okay!

5. Christmas Cocktails
As the day draws to a close somewhere around ‘The Royle Family’ and ‘Gavin & Stacey’ I will raid the alcohol cupboard (my fantastic father managed to procure some half price Absolut Vodka!) and make a wonderful cocktail for my sister and I as we hurtle towards Boxing Day. This year I’m thinking Cosmopolitans to start followed by something involving Baileys and Amaretto… and hopefully minus a hangover in the morning!

Before you go I have one final treat for you… most people will have had the chance to see their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews in the nativity over the past few weeks. Unfortunately I missed seeing my Dad in his, but I do have a photograph of the event (thanks to southport.gb.com) – he’s the shepherd on the right and I have to say I am very proud!