Its that time of year again.....

...when we dream of crisp white snow, and family gatherings around an open fire (even when we have central heating).

With 7 children in the house it can be a little hectic and stressful in the weeks leading up to Christmas. So, this year, I though we would have a change and book a few days away at Centre Parc in Penrith.


It worked pretty well, as we left on the 15th and returned on the 19th of December, leaving only a few days until Christmas. The kids spent most of December looking forward to their holiday and repacking their bags, and we managed to do most of the shopping in advance instead of our usual last minute rush! The only problem was that I fell on a wet floor in the bank, and tore the tendons in my foot just 48 hours before we left. It wasn't easy keeping up with everyone else when I was on crutches! I took this photo of Dave and trailer, followed by the others from the door step.




The kids love the freedom of being able to hire bikes and explore (something they can't do living in a busy town centre). Finn and Tabby love being on a trailer on the back of daddy's bike, although I think daddy wishes he was fitter! They also love the water park and swimming everyday.





The highlight of the holiday was when they 'discovered' that the Great Man himself was paying a visit! The children had surprise pony rides through the forest, until they arrived at a log cabin with a red sleigh and real reindeer outside! They were greeted at the door by an elf, and shown through to see Father Christmas sitting by a log fire. They had a chat - although the children were in awe and uncharacteristically quiet - then were given a present. It was all rather wonderful - and I was so caught in the moment I forgot to take any photos! After we left the cabin we had a look at the surrounding elf workshop and waited for the carriages to take us back. As usual, we didn't fit in one carriage, so I had pre-booked two.















It wasn't all fun though. Food allergies etc meant we had to self cater, so there were three meals a day for nine people to be cooked but at least I remembered to book accommodation with a dishwasher this time! (Here's Emerald cooking noodles for the veggies).





We also had to answer some emails and phone calls. Although it was a more relaxed setting, the help wasn't always all that helpful ;-)





When we got home it was time to put the presents for the children on and around the tree.

That's my favorite part :-)