I have to admit I didn't have time to think about Christmas. I spent the two weeks before hand working ungodly hours at work to try and get things looking somewhat tidy. I came home aching and stressed from exhaustion and went to sleep and did it all over again. But come Christmas Eve when I got in the car and drove to Portsmouth I knew it would be worth it. I had 4 days off and I couldn't wait.

Working in retail means that having time off over Christmas is non existent but luckily for us the way the days fell meant we had more than 1 day to spend with our loved ones. I could put to the back of my head all the abuse customers gave me for things being out of stock and all the times I wanted to tear my hair out when a kid knocked over a whole display of books.

This year we spent Christmas in Portsmouth. The boys headed down a few days earlier and I followed on Christmas Eve once I had finished my shift. As soon as I got there I was handed a drink, told to put my feet up and relax. It's all you really want at Christmas. It was magical to snuggle down with Max and read some stories as he fell asleep next to me, putting out milk and biscuits and seeing Max's face when Santa left some footprints behind!

I can honestly say we were spoilt rotten, some kitchen appliances that I'm already obsessed with, tickets to Harry Potter Studios and a Vtech Smartwatch which hasn't left Max's wrist. It was lovely to spend Christmas day with the inlaws having a quiet day.

Boxing day however was the complete opposite! All the family over, drinks, games and laughter galore. I've not cried laughing so much for such a long time! I sometimes find it hard to relax when we visit the inlaws as normally we are only there for a day and I'm driving us home so it was nice to know that we had some time to unwind.

Sunday was a day of rest. Having a lazy meal out with Scott and playing with Max's toys. It was a wonderful Christmas had by all and perfect to unwind after such a stressful few weeks at work. Now to get ready for school!