Almost daily diary!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Christmas Party

Look, I know it's not even December for another week, but we've just spent our Sunday afternoon at the first Christmas Party of the season!

It's not easy to get 6 families together all on the same day at this time of year. Especially when at least one child from each family has a birthday between 9th November and New Year! So although this is officially a Christmas Party, it began as a celebration of birth 12 years ago.

All of us met because we gave birth within 6 weeks of each other and therefore attended baby classes at the same time. We were new mums together, 'doing battle' with our new lives. We supported each other, shared stories and exchanged advice and now look what has happened! Those tiny wrinkled babies are strapping 12 year olds, the November ones anyway. Then we all had second children around the same time too, between October and January, so they have all grown up together, knowing each other and getting along.

So here we all are, coming to terms with the onset of the teenage years, with the next period of our lives, our childrens lives and we are all doing it together. I'm truly blessed to have been thrown together with all these lovely people, all of whom I would never have met in any other instance. Over time we have laughed, cried, commiserated and moaned together! There's nothing like a good moan between friends!

Small Sprog and Tall Girl have been so excited all weekend that they have almost been unbearable to live with! Every year we meet in the same hall, order a large bouncy castle (did they want one now they're getting older? Of course, it's tradition!!) Light a few fireworks and organise a Secret Santa for them all. We eat pizza and light candles on a joint birthday cake. It's always the same and that's how they like it. The adults make a cauldron of mulled wine, and a huge pot of tea (not at the same time!) and settle down to 'catch up', all the time pondering if this will be the last time all the children will want to come. Will they want to do this at 13, 14? Who'd have thought we'd be doing it this long, all 23 of us, 11 adults and 12 children. An easy togetherness. Who could want for more?

And almost as soon as it's begun it's time to go home! It's the quickest 5 hours of the year. The children leave exhausted and the adults mostly sober! As we say our last good byes someone always says, laughing "One day they'll be pushing us all here in our wheelchairs!" and I hope that we will still meet together then, when we are old and our children have children of their own.

15 comments:

Marvin -The Hollow Hound said...

It is lovely to have stuff like this going on.

Good friends, cauldrons of mulled wine and pizza, is what real life is all about.

Letty x who is tired and may have signed in as her dog.........

Mean Mom said...

That sounds wonderful! Why couldn't my antenatal group have been like that? I was living in a village in Bucks and the mothers spent all of their time jealously watching to see which child did what first. Drove me crazy. One mother gave her child crawling lessons, when she felt that he was getting left behind. I kid you not.

Hope your meetings go on forever! Lucky thing!

molly said...

Having moved from pillar to post all of my married life, I have never had that kind of continuity for my children, and am therefore green with envy! Besides, that cauldron of mulled wine sounds lovely....

swilek said...

what a special tradition...i hope it carries on... i think because i can live vicariously through your annual party!!

Rose said...

Suburbia, This is a great tradition! It's not easy staying in touch with a group of people for this length of time, let alone get together every year for a celebration. I think you'll be doing this for many more years.

BS5 Blogger said...

Sweet stuff!

Lakeland Jo said...

Sounds like you had a great time. My little boy (13) is now five foot eight. I can't believe it. He 'be allowed anywhere near a bouncy castle ( also a rugby player).He will always be my baby. When I say that he goes ' oh MUM! and rolls his eyes...

Tim Atkinson said...

What a wonderful idea! I think the adults should keep it on even when the children think that they're 'too old' for that sort of thing.

Anonymous said...

Oh, do you know, Suburbia, all our local christmas things are in this last week of november. The church and school xmas fairs among others. So you're not too early. not really.

How lovely you kept up with your "bump group" (as my pal puts it) all this time. And you are still close friends.

Our NCT group went well but two of them were so frightenly competitive that it left the remaining 4 of us quite cold. And then one moved back to Ireland, one to Wiltshire and we missed them terribly.

But do you know what? Me and the other girl became really close friends and i'm meeting up with her tonight! Her boy is 12 and a half like my daughter and our second ones a few months of each other, like yours. Its really strange.

I spoke to another couple and asked if they kept in touch with their NCT group and they said they couldn't bear the other couples and got away as soon as they could. I thought this was rather sad as you need as much support as you can get with your first child.

Reading your blog has made me feel all christmassy. xxxx

Suburbia said...

Letty I love it when you transform into your dog!!

MM, crawling lessons, that's so funny, and riddiculious! I was so lucky that there was never any competition amoungst my friends.

Molly, it was;)

Swile, I hope you're still visiting next year then!

Thanks BS5
:)


JO, I thought my daughter was tall at 12 (2 weeks ago) she is 5 foot 4! We did check the bouncy castle and it was up to age 14! Not sure it was made for 5 feet 8's though!

Dotterel, we are very much hoping to.

Jenny, just been xmas shopping too, so feeling even more Christmasy now!
It is so lovely to keep up with old friends isn't it? This group were my NHS mums group! My NCT group has now 'morphed' into my book group, so we still meet, but the children haven't stayed in touch. Sadly I didn't keep up with my NCT group when I had my second. I think once the second comes along you don't get so much time for socialising!

Hope your evening was fun :)

Ladybird World Mother said...

I would have loved a group of mums like that... amazing, isnt it, that you turn around, and you have a decade (plus)long tradition going.Congratulations. May it continue for a long long time.

Akelamalu said...

How fabulous that you've all stayed friends and meet up!

cheshire wife said...

Sounds good to me!

Liz Hinds said...

That sounds great! How wonderful that you're still doing it. And of course who doesn't love a bouncy castle?

mrsnesbitt said...

Great idea. We too are planning for the big day...well I am anyway! Cava will be plentiful!