Essential preparations

A busy Christmas Eve with a giddy little girl - a food shop, tidy up, a bit of card delivering, tea out and then home to do the essential Christmas Eve jobs.

We put our (homemade) reindeer food out - I have taken virtually the same photo every year for the last few but just love the joy on Lottie's face.

Our cake was decorated, the obligatory snacks left out for Santa and madam was in bed at quite a reasonable hour.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for us by the time we had finished the other important jobs of the evening - but it is all worth it!