family

the post that i could write so much about with many different tangents..
this year is the year where everyone that has in laws goes to the in laws for Christmas so Christmas day is small. therefore the Sunday before Christmas is really our Christmas day where we all get together and celebrate as a family.
i will digress a little and explain my family.
i am an only child , my mum has one sister who has 4 boys. those boys, my cousins are like my brothers. we grew up sharing almost all our childhood together. my grandparents had a beach house at sorrento that we all stayed in together all summer holidays, every other holiday, weekends during the year, Easter. as well as that we celebrated birthdays, mothers day, fathers day and Christmas all together at each others houses. i have such fond memories growing up with the boys and i am so blessed to have had the best of both worlds - part time siblings and enjoying the best bits !!
i am pretty lucky as i have only missed one Christmas lunch and that was 4 years ago when i was in hospital with Arch ( john's family were always happy to see us Christmas night)
so anyway i will continue...
today was our family Christmas as 3 of the boys go off to their in laws for lunch. Christmas this year is at Blairgowrie at mum and dads so it is a small day with my auntie, mum and dad, one cousin and his family and us.
so today is it all 18 of us together. it was the first time i remember our kids all playing together all day together. 2 of my cousins have children and these are the closest my kids will get to having cousins and family so i had a warm heart as i watched the kids having so much fun together. we shared presents, shared a table full of beautiful food and there was even Christmas pudding (my absolute favourite) with brandy cream made by Stephen following my Grandma's recipe. Stephen also made Arch a cake and we celebrated his birthday.
good food, family, and lots of laughter. it was a day of memories...
except that my husband choose friends over family and didn't come... apparently friendship is greater than family....he missed out. he also broke my heart.