We took an evening to put on some music and a fire on the tv as we got ready to decorate our tree. We sent most of our decorations from Sydney so it felt like our tree from home. The atmosphere was very similar to Sydney and made it was a lovely way to reconnect to our past Xmases.
Once we found our tree we all took turns sawing it down. We did in such a way that it the main part of the tree could regenerate by growing a new main trunk. It was a fun experience going out and finding our tree. On the way home we stopped in at Red Hawk for a late lunch and to celebrate a bit. Once we got home we found that the tree was a touch too tall, oops. With a little trimming we made it fit though. Having a live tree in the house was lovely as it started filling the house with a pleasant smell.
This year we decided to go and pick out a live tree for the house. We drove up to Apple Hill to a farm which sold trees. When we got there we got some hot apple cider and started looking for our tree. EV was the navigator as we walked around the farm. Some parts were closer to a forest rather than a farm, which we liked since it made it into more of an adventure. We also managed to find and avoid several grumps on stumps. Eventually we also found a tree that we liked.
After having some tasty food and drinks it was time to cut the cake. Babicka blew out the candles and then we all spent more time chatting and catching up with everyone. It was really a lovely afternoon and into the evening. It was really good to see some of her friends who we hadn't seen in a long time and who made it a special evening. It really seemed like Babicka had a great time.
We decided to throw a surprise birthday party for Babicka along with Auntie Jeanna and Uncle Richie. We managed to do a great job because Babicka had no idea and was thoroughly surprised. We did a great job decorating the venue and getting everything organised. It was really fun to have so many people there to celebrate Babicka.
Uncle Richie and Auntie Jeanna came over to look after the kids so KT and TV could go have a date night. We got them all dinner and set them up as we headed out for a nice dinner and conversation. We had a lovely evening and the girls were mostly well behaved.
It was good fun to put up the lights this year as we had to come up with a whole new design. The girls were helping but then they found some old boxes which were just too irresistible. They even brought Setsuna out to play with the boxes. They had a good time and we were all happy with the end result as well.
