Christmas in November!

Every time a Christmas tree goes up before December, an elf drowns a baby reindeer! I’m so sorry but it had to be done.

Had a bit of a blast in the kitchen on Saturday , made copious amounts of mini mince pies and a few pork and cranberry sausage rolls. The kitchen at home was awash with flour and the oven was on for that long I wasn’t sure whether I was having a particularly long tropical moment, or it was just too hot!

Sausage rolls came out looking tasty, until I realised I’d forgotten to add stuffing, feeling slightly let down, I decided I’d go and buy more sausage meat on Sunday and make a fresh batch ready to take away in the caravan.

Sat with a cup of tea, homemade mince pies and The Jungle, the girls were putting the Christmas tree up with Ant and Holly squirming as Noel and Harry squished eyeballs in their mouths, on the TV. Christmas in November, completely unheard of in my house. Normally the tree is up just in time for my birthday, a week before the great day and come New Year’s Day, I’ve had enough and it’s banished back to the loft. This year is going to be slightly different. As The Boss is lifting the legs of the caravan and transporting it north for a few weeks, the Jellybeans decided it needed to go up before we left them home alone again. They are a lot more festive than I am. Our youngest Jellybean just needs to sniff pine disinfectant and she’s thinking Christmas trees and presents. Even the cat gets excited when the tree goes up, getting high on cat nip laced presents lurking beneath the festive foliage for him, courtesy of course, from Jellybean number two.

Tree up, twinkly lights flashing, I must be mad, all in November. The Jellybeans have been given strict instructions that during the day, the tree stays in darkness until the 1st of December, I simply cannot cope with being the first tree on the street.

Quick trip to Lidl early Sunday afternoon, I decide to cheat and buy ready made puff pastry. The car park is bonkers busy, where has everyone come from? With parking spaces on short supply, The Boss kicks me out of the car and I nip in to grab a few quick bits… getting through the doors is my first obstacle. Pensioners and kids form a barrier, bumper car style with trolleys in the entrance. Fighting my way through, the first thing that strikes me, beyond the mass of people, is the fact that the shelves are looking pretty sparse. Flipping ‘eck people it’s still a month away.

Bags packed, festive garland packed, mince pies and sausage rolls stashed away, some for us, some for the Jellybeans. Nearly time to get the legs up and let those wheels hit those mucky, wet roads.

See… we didn’t leave the van abandoned for long Abandoned, back in storage (click here)