So the kids have finally broken up from school. The tree is up, the cards are sent, just the mound of wrapping to be done. There is no point putting parcels under the tree before Christmas Eve, as a certain person cannot resist tearing them open - regardless to whom they belong.

When we were in town the other day, Dais clicked herself free from the stroller and dashed into 3 Mobile. She had managed to tear the shiny paper off several of their window display xmas parcels before I could steady the teetering pushchair and race in after her.

We have quite a few "heritage" decorations inherited from Mr Nichols' youth. These obviously hold a lot of sentimental value for him, so we try to keep them up high and away from her prying fingers. On the way to bed the other night, she managed to squeeze her little arm through the bannisters to grab for the 40 yr old Christmas Bell hanging from the hall ceiling. Lucky enough, I managed to wrench her back through and her flailing arms only knocked the door bell chime off the wall and into a thousand pieces - phew! (The poor old chime box looked like something from a Tom & Jerry cartoon with the springs all going "boing").

As her sister's school had an inset day last Friday, I decided to take the bull by the horns and try the visiting Santa at Willows challenge ahead of the Christmas holidays. I got my timing pretty spot on and arrived just as two large groups of school children were leaving, but before it got dark. Cut the queuing time down to a mere 40 minutes! Needless to say, they were forty pretty fraught minutes of Dais clambering over the lovely grotto displays and trying to shin up tinsel covered posts, but we got there in one piece and I hadn't even used my "fish-wife voice".

When we were finally ensconsed in Santa's room, she discovered his large brass handbell (for alerting the elves he was ready to receive his next guests).. The only way we could get her to sit still for the photo was by ringing it rather loudly and insistently.

Mind you, it was all worth it as I discovered her innermost desires as she sat on his lap and answered the question "what would you like for Christmas?" Her answer? "Toys!"