Viewing Lights, Burning Clocks, Floating Santa

Thursday 20th

The day started with Freya being worried about things that might or might not happen in a couple of years time, which is something I struggle to be patient with, and usually means she actually has nothing to worry about right now so has had to find something. Anyway, it was not the best way to start the day.
Pollyanna Pollyanna Pollyanna moving on...

I can't remember much of the daytime, so I wonder if I was working. I know I popped to the shop with Freya and she had to go in without me to get something secret and surprising that J and I will find out about in good time. And I lurked around the outside in the rain in my black hoodie - some teenage lads said 'hello' to me as they got out of their car, which doesn't usually happen so must be something to do with the lurking and the hoodie with the hood up!
Noticed there is a little cross in the shop garden just in front of the big Christmas tree. Realized that it must be for the lovely black cat, Charlie, that used to be the shop cat. They have another white cat now - their cats always lie on the scales, which I realize probably isn't recommended health and safety but I do find it endearing. The guy who runs the shop is a grumpy sod on the whole but he does love his cats.

J made some cards from the photos he took of Freya writing letters in the air with sparklers.
They look like this:

And Freya made a cube santa, after seeing one on CBBC website I think, worked out how to do her own version and I helped with sticking:

Freya and I went into Brighton and bought a present for her friend L, then we did our Annual Xmas Lights Viewing Bus Ride, which is a Great Tradition. This year we opted to go to Tunbridge Wells and back (think last year it was more of an East-West coastal route. It was lovely, we had various snacks and looked out for the best Xmas Lights we could see, chatted away about all sorts including her asking what it means to say a person is shallow, talked about the Rocky Horror Show, transexuals, and much other stuff. Also played anagrams, whch is our current word game of choice, usually film titles. Saw some lovely lights, I think there are fewer houses with lights up this year, but where people have put them up they have really made a huge effort, there were beautifully adorned trees and hedges in places.

At Tunbridge Wells, we ended up in (Oh No!) McDonalds in the arcade, think Freya has only partaken of a McDonalds once or twice in her life. It was much as one would expect, but hey salty potato products always have some charm.
After that wondrous culinary joyfulness, we went to the loo and Freya was tempted by a photo booth so I gave her £2 and she got this:

but I think she was expecting something else, so wasn't entirely satisfied.

Then we admired the 'grotto' and in particular the robot snowman who sang his last two Christmas tracks for us, accompanied by teetering penguins. At 19:49 he suddenly lolled his head back and stopped, as if it had all been too much, slightly unnerving us. Freya hid behind me in case he was suddenly going to start up again, but we were giggling too.
Caught a bus back with only a 5-minute wait, and admired our favourites of the lights we had already seen, munched cookies (have been joking with Freya about my great nutritional provision when we've been out lately, largely consisting of sugar and salt it seems, oh and Coke, oops), chatted more and looked forward to Christmas.
We got onto words that sound the same but have different meanings and so I promised to show her the Two Ronnies Fork Handles sketch on YouTube at home, which we did, also watched Bill Bailey on Argos, as a friend had linked to it. Nice funny things to watch for a short late bedtime.

Friday 21st

Freya was trying to create secret writing systems using green cellophane and green and red pens, but the colours weren't quite right, so might be revisited later. Her friend L came at 11ish and they exchanged presents very happily, watched Barbie: A Perfect Christmas (very very Christmassy and about perfect Christmas being perfect because of the people you are with and unexpected things that happen, not necessarily the special things you might have planned to do), made and ate pesto pastry pinwheels, played on the CBBC site and played Sylvanians for ages.

Later Freya and I went into Brighton on the bus to go to Burning of the Clocks. We went straight to the Marwood for a hot chocolate. They have moved things around in there and I don't like it quite as much. Hot choc was good though and I don't know if they always had a mannekin hand as the door handle for going out, maybe they did and I never actually used it before.
Then we watched the parade, which was lovely as ever, followed it down to the seafront, dancing a bit here and there. Tried and failed to buy chips due to me getting huffy when the stall didn't have x, y or z that we had wanted with our chips and weren't apologetic about just having sausages. Also the pier was closed - we had wanted to eat chips on pier. We adjusted to crepes on the beach instead (more excellent nutritional provision from me) and Freya collected lots of shells and we enjoyed the fireworks, which seemed particularly good this year.

Highly amused when, after we came back, F went to the loo, and emerged quite a while later and the first thing she said to J was "I had a crepe" and we teased her that we thought she was just pronouncing something else in a posh way...

Saturday 22nd

We went into town all 3 of us, buying various things still needed - for me it meant I had an excuse to go in the 3 shops in Lewes that are most full of gorgeous stuff of various kinds (Tizz's, Wickle and Bright Ideas). I don't often go in them, except for presents, it is very easy to spend a fortune in all of them, but they are bursting with little lovely things of all sorts.
We all met up at Costa for a drink and J and Freya played a game on his tablet - 100 Doors I think it's called, very puzzly and a bit mathsy.

Then we went on to the Christmas Rollerdisco, where we met up with C, K, L, M and little D. Freya made me very proud by getting to the point of being able to go round by herself for the last 45 minutes! She has been working towards that for about 3 months, am just bursting with pride at her determination and persistence. I don't think she gets that from me.
So Hoorah, what a great thing to achieve at the end of 2012!

Back home, we enjoyed a curry and Strictly Final, was all good.

Sunday 23rd
J's dad came and it was a particularly lovely visit, not least because of this moment when he gave Freya a huge box to open and as she undid it, a Father Christmas helium balloon came bursting out:

(sorry to everyone who has already seen this, I did post it everywhere, but had to have it on blog too).

He also admired the lovely card J had made, we all opened some prezzies - he gave me a DS game, Arthur Christmas on DVD and a TV series I wanted and Freya got a Mr Gum book, a Diary of a Wimpy Kid one and a David Walliams - and treated us all to a meal out at Pizza Express. All feeling very festive, and then the Christmas food shop came, and had a nice chilled evening, watched Mr Stink and generally relaxed.

Have lovely Christmases all, I do hope for 2013 to bring us all some good stuff, many of us have had a rocky few years and would like an easy one now I know. Here's hoping xxx