A Special Klaasen Christmas

Christmas in London

I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps is the markets full of treats and mulled wine. Maybe it's all the bright lights and festive decorations. It could be the snow and the fact that the sun goes down at 15h30 so you can snuggle up in front of the fire with something/someone warm. Whatever it is, Christmas is so much more Christmasy in the Northern Hemisphere. And so I struggle to get into the spirit here at home.

Christmas in Cape Town

Leading up to this past Christmas I had been thinking about  how we can make things more special for our little family without it becoming too hectic and stressful. (note I said 'special' and not 'meaningful'. I think we fully understand and appreciate the real reason for the season, I just think our lack of commercial interest can put a damper on all the other things). We usually go to Andel's parents for Christmas Eve. We trek there with a million bags and presents, do a huge, traditional family dinner, and then open gifts at midnight before collapsing into bed. We then make a rushed trip home the next day, and meet up with my family around mid-afternoon for Christmas desserts and the epic drama that is Secret Santa. As much as it is definitely fun-filled, it's easy to get lost in the busyness, and just end up going with the overwhelming flow.

This year however, we did things a little differently...

This year, for the first time in 10 years (since Andel and I have been together) we stayed home. It wasn't actually our intention, but a series of events, miscommunication and coincidental decisions resulted in us having zero plans for Christmas weekend. It was wonderfully liberating, to be honest, and meant we could let the kids set the tone for the celebrations. You see, we had never bought our kids Christmas gifts before (the jury is still out on whether we should feel proud or embarrassed by that fact), so they were not expecting anything from us. They were, however, expected a rather big something from Santa.

The boys at Postcards from Bethlehem '17

Bayley meets Santa

The kids had written a letter (which before I intervened look more like ransom demands), and were confident they'd be getting their chosen gifts from him on Christmas morning. So, we bit the bullet, bought the gifts, and leading up to the big day filled our usually sparsely decorated home with seasonal paraphernalia - and, like any good parents, continually threatened to cancel their order with Santa each time they misbehaved.

On Christmas Eve the boys were so excited, they could not go to sleep. They eventually collapsed right where they were close to 23h30 - just in time for Santa to still pop around. And he did not disappoint. He came in through the backdoor that we left unlocked (because we don't have a chimney), hurriedly consumed the milk and cookies left for him (apparent by the mess left on the counter), and left his footprints all over the kitchen and lounge.

Christmas Eve story-time with Aunty Dom

Cookies and milk for Santa

Thank heaven for small mercies. Following the late night the kids had - and even later night for us Santa - not even the magic of Christmas could wake the boys before 08h00. When they did wake, however, the were overflowing with spirit - especially when they saw that Santa had delivered on their demands - I mean, requests.

Look what Santa delivered

Happiness #1

Happiness #2

Santa Bayley

We spent the laziest morning setting the boys' bikes up, and taking turns taking them up and down the street in Andel's helmet before going to check in with Andel's Ma and ailing Pa. We had a quiet, low-key and non-traditional lunch, followed by a power-nap before catching up with our families later the afternoon. We exchanged desserts and Secret Santa, and caught up with our loved ones until late into the night. When we got home we had full bellies and full hearts. And it felt good.

Annual Christmas Family Pic (and whatsapp group icon)

The truth is: I'm terrible at these family days. I find them stressful when we are all trying to attain this unrealistic measure of perfection: perfect food, perfect decor, perfect gifts, perfect relationships. It's exhausting! As a result, I decided long ago that I would limit my kids' exposure to that chaos, and create our own Christmas traditions with far simpler celebrations. We aren't quite there yet. This Christmas was an anomaly; I'm sure we'd be expected to do what we've done previous years. Still, I'm realising that, as my family grows, our focus turns inward to our nuclear family, and we make decisions with our kids in mind, and what best suited for us to create lasting memories and experiences for them. There was something so special about waking up together on Christmas morning, just us five...

Coincidental colour-coordination on Christmas Eve

So, who knows what will happen next Christmas. Whether we'll get around to a Christmas movie, matching pyjamas, or exchanging books to read through the night - we'll have to wait and see. All I know for sure is that we're preparing for Santa on Christmas eve, and cooking Christmas lunch (as per our Family Bucket List), and, no doubt, doing our own special brand of Klaasen Christmas - wherever we may be!