Aaron's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘father christmas’

We all had a wonderful Christmas Day this year and for the first time ever, I didn’t have to go in and wake the boys up to tell them they could get up!  The night before, Aaron, who got up at about 3am last year and snuck downstairs, managed to get us to say a time that they were allowed to get up on Christmas morning. He wanted it to be 6am but we said 630am would be fine, as Kelly has to go down and put the Turkey in to cook by 7am anyway.  Kelly and I were awake by 630am anyway, but at about 6am we could hear them whispering to each other in their room so I had to tell them to be quiet, which they did, but they then got up just before 630am with Aaron and Coby rushing in to our room saying ‘Merry Christmas!’.  They were full of it and were dragging their stockings behind them in to our room as well.  Ben was lagging behind a bit as he was acting cool, but he was very excited as well to see what he had got.  Before we even had chance to get out of bed, Coby was starting to open his presents so we had to tell him to stop and wait as Kelly had to put the Turkey on.  So they all sat on our bed and waited for Kelly to return before we all opened our stocking presents.  Coby and Aaron must have gone through their stockings at opened their presents in record time as they were finished before Kelly and I had barely started!!  They were all very happy with what the received from Father Christmas which includes books, clothes, chocolates, small toys and a Fart Ninja each, which they all thought was hilarious!  They cracked in to some of their chocolates and sweets there and then, which was allowed, only because it was Christmas!!

We then went on downstairs to see if Father Christmas had left any presents for everyone under the tree – and he had!!  There was a big pile of presents under the tree from relatives and also a small pile of presents for each and everyone from Father Christmas in front.  Coby, again, was about to dive in and start opening them but, as tradition in our house states, we had to wait until we had some shortbread for breakfast! haha So we had biscuits and a drink and by this time, Aaron and Coby were ready to burst as they were desperate to start opening the main presents!!  We then commenced the opening of the presents, one by one, person by person, until they were all opened.  We had to stop for various phone calls and for Kelly to sort some bits out for dinner, but we were all done by late morning, which was quite early for us as we have, in the past, had to continue to open presents after our Christmas Dinner.  We all had some great presents and the boys were extremely pleased with what they had.  Ben received Harry Potter Cluedo and a Harry Potter Knight Bus 3D Puzzle from Father Christmas, a FitBit, a Harry Potter 1000 piece puzzle, Harry Potter PJ’s, a new boot bag, a large stationery set and a few other things.  Aaron got a Tube Racer set and a Garbage Truck from Father Christmas.  He was especially happy with the Garbage Truck as he had asked Father Christmas for it for the past 2 or 3 years! He also got a Bugacular game, some new earphones, Hot Wheels Creator, the new Everton kit, a robot to build and control via his tablet and some other bits and pieces.  Coby had a Glow Pad and a Crayola Art Set from Father Christmas and an Everton kit, a Lego police car, a Teksta Robot Puppy, Where’s Wally game, some Everton PJ’s, a Hot Wheels Dino track, a Pop Forky and a Spiderman Art Table.  Of course, they all wanted to open each of their presents as they received them so we had to keep telling them to hang on until all were opened as bits would get lost.  Coby didn’t listen though and opened several of his and then we had to hunt around for the bits for some of them!

Our Christmas Dinner was lovely again and we all scoffed loads and were fat and full afterwards!  I even fell asleep briefly in the afternoon which I have never done before on Christmas Day – must be getting old!!  We spent the afternoon looking at the presents and helping the boys open and put together theirs, before we had a video call with Grandma, Darren and Marina to wish them a Merry Christmas and so the boys could show them what they had got.

Ben, Aaron and Coby then had something to eat for tea, as they were hungry by this time, even though they had been eating sweets and chocolate all afternoon!  They then went to bed by 8pm as they were all shattered so Kelly and I were able to get some food and finally relax a little and look at what we got, though we were tired out as well.

We had all had a lovely and exciting day filled with good food and fun! It just went way too quickly again! Roll on next Christmas when I will be 40!!

During the weekend before Christmas, Kelly and I surprised the boys by taking them straight from school to Drayton Manor Park for their Magical Christmas Experience.  Obviously, we went to a hotel first for the night!! But the following day, we got up nice and early and made sure we arrived at the park for opening time, which was 930am.  The hotel we stayed at was only 15 minutes away, which was great, and we had a nice big room and they even had some activities for the boys to do when we got there.  Once of them was to write a letter to Father Christmas and to then post it in a special box in reception before bed to see if he would write back to them.  They all did this and when they woke up in the morning, there were 3 letters by the hotel room door.  They were all pleased with this, especially Aaron and Coby, as Father Christmas had written back to them all!! The Premier Inn must have had a special agreement with Father Christmas over that weekend, especially as it was so close to Christmas!

The day at Drayton Manor Park didn’t start off too well as Ben pushed Coby out of the car which meant the car door smacked against the car next to us, with them in it.  The guy came out and wasn’t very pleased and made sure we knew that, but it was an accident.  He didn’t want to take any money from us so we left it at that – great start!

Anyway, we walked on in and went straight to Thomas Land.  Most of the rides didn’t start until 10:30 am, but some had obviously been through their daily checks and were already going, so we went on a few.  We then went to the 4D cinema which was showing Ice Age before heading back to Thomas Land for a show with the Fat Controller.  We then went on more rides, mostly in Thomas Land, but some in other areas of the park.  Thomas Land had been decorated for Christmas nicely and there were trees dotted around and they had put snow on the roofs of the little houses there as well.  The trains were also decorated with Christmas lights and tinsel, so it was all very nice. We all went on various other rides before walking up to the other area of the park to see what other rides were open.  We had a go at a train shooting gallery ride, which was completely different to anything we had been on before, which we all thought was great, and another pirate ship ride.  By this time it was time for food so we managed to get a table in the burger bar and had some burgers and chips for dinner.  We then walked up around the zoo to have a quick look and listened to a Reindeer talk and got close to a Tiger which was right next to the fence.  It was getting quite cold at this point so we wandered back down towards the main area of the park and got some nice warm donuts, which were delicious! We then went on a few more rides before it was time to queue up to meet Father Christmas.  We got to the queue before our time but we ended up having to wait a good 40 minutes to eventually see him, which was a bit rubbish really! The boys were playing up at this point as well as they were bored just standing around, which was a shame. When we eventually got to see him, he had a chat with each of the boys individually and asked if they had been good and were enjoying the day, and also asked what they mainly wanted for Christmas.  Coby looked in awe of him, Aaron looked worried when he was being talked to and Ben just took it all in his stride but didn’t get too close! haha. The boys then had a photo with him and he gave them each a gift, which turned out to be a nice star shaped Magical Christmas at Drayton money box, a cool looking Elf and a voucher for entry into the park with a paying adult in 2020.  At least Ben didn’t get a magic set this year!!  Once we had seen Father Christmas, we rushed back to the main area of the park for a Christmas parade that had already started. Typically the parade time was the same time that we were in visiting Father Christmas, which we only found out about a week earlier via an email! Anyway, we saw that and it wasn’t too special anyway but at the end of it came the Fireworks display over the lake. This was really good and we got good positions to watch it.  It lasted quite a long time really but there weren’t any really big bangs due to the animals on the park but it was still very good.  And that was that….it was time to go again.  We did nip in to the sweet shop to get some sweets for the boys on the way out and had a final walk around the areas that we could get to before heading out and back to the car.

Overall, we had a lovely day but it definitely wasn’t as good as Paultons last year.  It seemed more organised there and more magical, with less people so we could just walk straight on to the rides in most cases, instead of having to queue a bit here, and they also did a Roast Turkey in their restaurant.  Meeting Father Christmas was also better there as they had a long Christmassy walk to go and see him, with animatronics and other magical stuff, and we didn’t have to queue up for 40 minutes!  Saying that, it was nice at Drayton and the boys actually said they preferred it here – possibly due to Thomas Land!  We had a nice, magical day out and had some fun before our long journey home in the car.

The Friday before Christmas, we went to Paultons Theme Park for the day. We travelled up on the Thursday evening after school and didn’t tell the boys where we were going, so it was a big surprise until Aaron noticed that there were bags in the car at school pickup! They were then all very excited! We stayed in a hotel about 2 mins away from the park and got there nice and early, so we could have a relaxing evening, before the big day on the Friday.

We got up nice and early on the Friday and had some food, which we had brought with us, before heading over to Paultons for opening time at 10am. Although there were a few cars there already, the park itself was nice and quiet so we headed over to Peppa Pig World and went on several of the rides nice and quickly.  There was a new area in Peppa Pig World since we had visited a few years ago, so we made sure we went on those rides! The weather was perfect as well. Nice and sunny and not that cold. We had been worrying for weeks that it would be rainy, but were lucky it was so nice! After we had gone on several of the rides we went to the 4D Cinema to watch the show. It was a bit strange and Coby couldn’t really get on with the 3D glasses and typically, just as he took them off, a squirt of water (part of the experience) shot out of the chair in front and went straight into his eyes! haha He was OK though and managed to watch the rest of the show as best he could. Ben and Aaron enjoyed it as well although I think it made them feel a little sick – it certainly did to me! By the time this was over, we wandered back through the street area and to the restaurant, where we had some dinner. Kelly and I had Roast Turkey, which was very nice, and the boys had other childrens meals. We then walked over to the other side of the park where the more grown up rides were and had a go on a few of those. Not all of the rides were open, due to it being out of season, but all of the rides that we would have gone on were open, so it was perfect for us. So we spent the majority of the afternoon working our way back towards Peppa Pig World from the other side of the park, going on the rides that we wanted to. We were very lucky that it was quiet enough to basically walk on to any ride whenever we wanted to without really queuing. We did have to book the tickets beforehand and there was a limit to how many were sold, but it was ideal. On the way back over, we stopped at the show stage and watched the Christmas show that the park put on, which was a bit of fun. As part of our tickets, Kelly and I could have a free Mulled Wine and chocolate brownie slice, so we had that during the show. We then carried on over to Peppa Pig World and managed to get on a few rides before it was time for the snow in Show Street. The snow wasn’t brilliant but was a bit of fun as well and Coby seemed to love it! Aaron was also playing around in it and having fun, but Ben was in a mood at this point! Tut! We then had to go and see Father Christmas in his grotto, which was awesome. The grotto was amazing as we had to walk through snowy and magical scenes to get to see him and when we saw him, it looked like it was the real Father Christmas! He asked the boys if they had been behaving and what they wanted for Christmas and said they were all on the good list. He then asked my name and said I was on the good list as well, but when he asked Kelly, he said she was on the naughty list before he eventually found her name at the very bottom of the good list! He had a good chat with the boys and they were very polite and looked very nervous but excited as well. He then said that they could all have a present, which we could get from the elves just outside the grotto, but he did give them each a nice Christmas 2018 at Paultons badge. So we said ‘goodbye’ to him and went across and the boys got a present each. Ben got a Magic Set, Aaron got an Egg Splat game and Coby got a cuddly penguin called Pom Pom, which he absolutely loves and takes to bed with him every night! Unfortunately, the magic set was a bit childish for Ben, and he always gets a magic set from Father Christmas when we go to see him.  By this time, it was dark outside so all the Christmas lights were turned on around the park, which made it look very magical! We quickly walked back over to Peppa Pig World but we were too late to go on anymore of the rides as they had all closed for the day but we did stay a little there to take in the lights and magical atmosphere before heading back to the exit via the shop. Unfortunately, the boys were all very naughty in the shop as they wanted to buy things but we kept saying ‘no’ as it was Christmas in a few days time. So that was a bad ending for the day which was a big shame. Eventually they got some pencils and rubbers, etc and we went back to the car and set off for our journey home.

All in all, it was a fantastic day at Paultons.  The park looked magical with all the Christmas lights and trees and the fact it was quiet enough that we didn’t have to queue to get on to any rides was awesome. It was much better than in the Summer when you usually have to queue for ages to get on each ride. We would definitely come again out of season if it was this quiet. The weather was perfect as well – we all had a great time.

Christmas Day this year got off to a rocky start as Aaron and Ben were caught downstairs at 6:05am. Apparently, Aaron was ‘too excited’ to not go down to take a look to see if Father Christmas had come and left lots of presents, so he went down stairs before 6am and had a good look around and even turned the kitchen light on and picked up the key for Father Christmas to get in from by the front door and put it on the kitchen side. He had also had a look at several of the presents and knew who most of them were for and had counted some pencils that Father Christmas had left around the presents for them. I had thought I heard a noise downstairs as well but I thought it wasn’t the boys and was perhaps the heating instead, as they know full well that we all go downstairs together, after opening the presents in our stockings upstairs first. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Aaron and Ben creeping back up the stairs when I went to investigate. I was quite mad and so was Kelly! So they were sent back to their beds as it was even too early for me, and Coby was still fast asleep. Aaron ended up crying but it was apparently him who went down and then came back up and got Ben, who should have known better though, to go down again with him. Naughty boys!

We eventually allowed them out of bed at about 6:45am, as they had somehow woken Coby up by now. Kelly had already been down and put the Turkey on as it was so big it would take 5 hours to cook! Yum! So everyone came into our bedroom and we opened our presents in our stockings. The boys had some good stuff. Ben had some clothes, lots of chocolate, some new books inc an Ant Man book and a ‘How to be a superhero’ book, a crystal growing kit, Uno (card version), Match 2018 annual and some other great bits and pieces. Aaron had a Spider-Man book, Cars 3 2018 annual, clothes, lots of chocolate, a new Hot Wheel Monster Truck car, a gold panning kit, Cars 3 Top Trumps, a smelly Alien book and other items. Coby had some nice clothes and lots of chocolate, a PJ Masks book, a dinosaur book and soft toy, a PJ Masks little mug, a dinosaur in an egg kit where he had to get it out, a PJ Masks 2018 annual, a little squidgy PJ Masks figure and lots of other nice things. They were all very happy with what they got in their stocking and were tucking into the chocolate and sweets already!

We then went downstairs had saw the huge amount of presents under the tree that Father Christmas had left. Coby was amazed but the other two had seen them already so were quite sheepish! We had our usual shortbread biscuits for breakfast (which we always do on Christmas Day) and started opening the presents. It took us about 3 hours to open everything as we did have to stop for the occasional phone call and for Kelly to put things in and out of the cooker for our Turkey dinner. We all thought that it was smelling lovely!

Everyone got some really nice presents and the boys were so excited (especially Aaron) but mostly well behaved. Kelly and I were quite surprised at how calm Coby was, although he did want to open every present up and take a proper look when he got them, but we had to keep telling him to hold on until all the presents had been opened. All the boys got some roller skates from Father Christmas, which is what they all asked for, and some knee and elbow pads (apart from Coby who had some already). They also got a remote control helicopter for Ben, 3D Qixels for Aaron and a PJ Masks backpack for Coby from Father Christmas.  We then cracked into our main presents, which were piled high under and around the tree.  The other presents that Ben got were Battlebots, Harry Potter Top Trumps game, some more books, some clothes, a Volcano kit, Harry Potter Top Trumps (different to the game), some Lego, Roald Dahl DVD, Ghost Hunt game, a Saltrock hoody and some others. Aaron got a Playmobil Police Van, a Mega Garage, Buggaloop game, Everton T-Shirt, more clothes and sweets, a flying Minion, Soggy Doggy game and a Minion dressing gown. Coby got a toy BBQ set, a Robo Turtle, Magic Trax, a PJ Masks Innotab game, Everton T-Shirt, more clothes, a Batman remote control car, a Don’t Drop Chase game and a massive wooden train set. They all loved their presents!

We managed to open everything before sitting down to a lovely Roast Turkey with starters and dessert. The boys scoffed quite a lot (as it was so nice!) and then went and played with their toys, whilst Kelly and I sat down to watch the annual Top Of The Pops show on TV (recorded). We played with the boys for the rest of the afternoon before speaking to Grandma, Uncle Darren and Aunty Marina on the laptop. The boys then had some tea, as they were somehow hungry, before playing for a little while more before bedtime. They all went up just after 7pm as they were all tired out, especially Ben and Aaron due to them getting up so early! Kelly and I then relaxed and had some cold meat for supper before heading off to bed ourselves.

It had been a really good Christmas Day, once the issues in the morning had been forgotten about. Everyone had really great presents and lots of things to look at and play with over the rest of the Christmas period.

Last Saturday, we went to Marldon Christmas Tree farm to see Father Christmas. It was a surprise for the boys as we didn’t tell them we were going but they all got excited when they realised what we were doing, moreso Aaron and Coby. We spoke to the Elves but the cabin that Father Christmas was in and they chatted to the boys and asked questions confirming what they wanted for Christmas, as they already knew what they wanted. It was then time to go in and see Father Christmas. They all sat down next to him and he spoke to them about what they wanted for Christmas and checked if they had been naughty or good.  They then all got a present.  Ben got a magic set, Aaron got a spy telescope and, unfortunately, Coby got a baby toy which was for children 12 months old.  It was a real shame as the other two presents were really good. Coby wasn’t impressed as you can imagine! Shame!

We then went for a ride on the Christmas ‘Train’ and saw the animals, that included some Reindeer, Donkeys, Geese and Husky dogs. The boys all loved seeing the animals and stroking the dogs. We then looked around the craft stalls before leaving, with our feet being icy cold as it was freezing.

It had been a nice couple of hours but a shame about Coby’s present.