The countdown is on.....

Get your engines ready.....the Christmas countdown is officially on!!!  The Christmas tree is up at work (and decorated to my standards!) so I can feel that holiday buzz in the air.  Confession time....I'm a Christmas freak.  Some of you may know this already, some of you won't care but it's still a true fact. I heart Christmas.  I love everything about it - the decorations, finding the perfect presents for people, the music, the food, the wrapping paper, the excitement, the family get togethers, the kids laughing, Nativity scenes, the childhood memories, Christmas crafts......I could on and on but you get my drift.  I just love Christmas.

Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money.  Mum was a single parent until I was about 12 and my dad wasn't around but we still had amazing Christmas times.  My memories of Christmas with Mum, my brother, Grandma, cousins and family are so strong....I can feel the love we all had for each other and I'm trying to recreate that for my children.  We may not have gotten a lot of presents but man, we had fun.  A few Christmases stick out in my mind so I rang Mum and asked her to dig out some old photos so I could share them with you.

Christmas 1977.

This year, Santa gave me Ballet Cindy (Barbie's cousin!), Baby Alive and a denim look pram for her.  I had that pram for years.  I was so excited with both dolls, both had blonde hair like me :)  Cindy could bend her legs and arms and Baby Alive actually ate and pooped bright pink baby food and after I fed her, I could put her to sleep in the pram.  I was four years old and can still remember wearing my Holly Hobbie dress and eating cold peas and beetroot on the roasting hot Queensland day.  My brother got the Shogun Warrior which moved and had lights in it's eyes and freaked me out at night lol.  We spent that Christmas at my Grandma's with some of my cousins. 

The only girl!  me, my bro Todd and cousins (yes, that's you Brendan!!)

Christmas 1979.

This Christmas, we spent in Bluff in Queensland with my aunt, uncle and two cousins.  It was a brilliant holiday filled with many happy memories.  This year I got some awesome bubble bath, a Baby Alive and the Baby Alive baby centre, which could turn from a change table into a cot!  Flash.  Now, you're probably wondering why I got another Baby Alive......well, sadly, the first baby fell asleep on the back seat of the car and due to the harsh Toowoomba heat......her head melted off!  I remember being devastated and crying and crying.  We buried her in the back yard.  Then kindly, Santa found it in his heart to give me another one.......and I still have her!!!!!  Kim Kelly (don't laugh, that's her name!!!) is lovingly stored in a box with some of my childhood toys.  Anyway, Todd (my brother) got heaps of awesome Matchbox cars and a cool carry case and some more Star Wars action figures for his collection and a rockin carry case for those too.  We all look so happy.  Life was great.

Still the only girl!  Me, Todd and cousins Paul and Luke.  Man, we had fun with these two!

Christmas 1980.

The year of the shiny red bikes.  Our first bikes ever!  Mum must have saved for ages to get these for us and man, did we appreciate and use those bikes!!  Staying outside until dark, cruising round our neighbourhood.  I know, you're impressed by the basket and the banana seat on mine and if you look closely, you'll see the seat has red and green daisies on it......wicked.  I can remember the thrill of getting my bike.....something I never thought I'd get.  My neighbour used to sit on the back of the seat, I'd sit at the front and we'd both put our feet on the pedals and hoon around at double speed!  There's nothing like the freedom of a bike when you're a kid!!!

New bikes!!!  And cool outfits :)

Christmas 1983.

Pretty in Pink Barbie!  Her skirt was also a shawl, she had disco pink pants, a boa and a scandalous halter neck top....and she was cool! Six items of clothing that you could mix and match, all pink.  And a new dress - drop waisted (so 80's) and spotty.  Todd got more Star Wars action figures....he couldn't get enough of those things.  This Christmas sticks out not only because of Barbie but because shortly after Christmas, we moved from my home town in Queensland down to Melbourne in Victoria.  It was to be my last Christmas with my big family in Australia.  Christmas's in Melbourne were lonely.  But, Mum made rum balls (artificial rum, of course), white Christmas, cherry ripe and apricot balls....all things that still mean Christmas to me.  Oh, and I'd probably still have that Barbie doll too if my little sister (yes, you Drewe) didn't cut off all her hair and turn her into a pretend Ken doll....I still haven't gotten over it!!!! Thanks Bub :)

Me and my Barbie...that's my new dress.

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year.....I can feel it in the air.  I've written my shopping list, my menu plan, have decided on my interior theme so it's all go for me......I'll just keep counting down and you'll be hearing more about it and my Christmas antics as they happen!!!

Jingle bells, jingle bells......

trudy_n xoxx