stir up sunday

there is an english tradition that we have adopted into our celebrations......

stir-up sunday

on stir-up sunday, which is usually the first sunday after thanksgiving (we are a week late this year)......

the entire family gets together and makes christmas pudding...this will give it weeks to age properly to be served at christmas dinner.......

we don't make this for us, we make it for our scottish/south african grandpa!! i believe it is part of his childhood christmas memories......

he loves christmas pudding,

so this is our gift to him each year.......

one essential part of the ritual is that all the members of the family must take a turn stirring the pudding while making a wish.....

hmmmmmmmmmmm,  i am wishing for........

very interesting things go into

 christmas pudding like.....

citron, black pepper, suet, dried currants........

after it has been stirred properly with lots of wishes......

we butter (grandpa also loves butter and fresh bread and honey....)

anyway.....we lavishly butter a pudding basin, secure the top with string and then steam the pudding for 6-8 hours....

then we hide it away in the darkest shelf of the pantry and wait until just before christmas when we send it away to grandpa with 

merry christmas wishes!

trimming the tree.......

ben brought in the tree and crates of ornaments

sebastian turned on the christmas carols

paul started a fire in the wood stove

and gabi got everyone excited as she tumbled and danced around in anticipation....

all we needed was snow falling lightly outside......

which didn't happen but the evening was 

still magical...

we had trouble fitting the new, glittery star on the top of the tree, so nearly everyone had a go......

our sparkly, glittery, happiest christmas tree......