So proud of my kids

I had a terrible dream the other day...you know the sort...the sort that you think are real and when you wake up, you are so relieved that it wasn't real. My dream was that it was Christmas Eve and I had bought nothing and I was trying to get hold of a turkey, Christmas ham and crackers, and all the shops had sold out...all I could think about was how upset my family were going to be.....anyway...I digress...

So this has got me thinking about Christmas. Our Christmases are usually fairly quiet. Inevitably the kids are working all over Christmas, except for Christmas Day, to earn money to make up for being poor students all year. Our family live in England, so we usually hook up with family friends who are Australian, and also family-less. We always hope for good weather so we can go down to the local park and have our version of 'The Ashes'.

This year is going to be very quiet. Our Australian friends have moved back to Australia. And my husband has to work until 4pm on Christmas Day.

I was thinking about how the three of us would occupy ourselves while we waited for dad to come home from work, and suggested we do some voluntary work...like help out with the Christmas dinner for the homeless and lonely at one of our local churches. To be honest, I didn't think the kids would be very impressed with the idea. But I am thrilled that they think it is a great idea and are really keen to do something useful on Christmas Day.

I am so proud of their enthusiasm and willingness to get involved in something where they give to others, at a time when they'd be forgiven for focusing on their own needs. You never know, this may become a new family Christmas tradition.