12 Days Of Christmas Blogging Challenge Day #3 - Christmas Memories ♥

This was such a lovely post for me to prepare as it meant I had an excuse to dig out the old photo albums and have a look at some memories from Christmas past, I know my Dad will love this post looking at all the old pictures - hi Dad, I know you're reading! (he's now begun giving me blog and vlogging critiques! Cringe!). I can't say I have the best memory - I struggle when I even try to remember what I did yesterday but looking back at these photos did bring some Christmas memories to mind. Christmas has always been one of my favourite times of year, I just love the magic of it all, the anticipation of seeing what Santa would bring on Christmas morning, spending time together as a family, the decorations, the lights, the music, the food... I mean really, what isn't there to love about Christmas time?!

Very happy on Christmas morning! It's amazing how much Tyler Lee looks like me when I was small, I can see a lot of him in this picture.

Who would have thought someone could have been so happy with an umbrella! It's amazing what'll entertain a toddler!

 A purse for carrying all my future money - I wish!

 Suddenly my hair became straight! Playing with the one and only Polly Pocket.

I don't really remember what gifts I received as a child but looking at these pictures did help to rekindle memories of playing with these toys in my mind. I was (and still am!) such a big Barbie fan so I was always so excited to see a new doll for my collection on Christmas morning. It seems like I was always such a girl girl getting a purse, bag, umbrella, little high heels and my favourite Polly Pocket - who used to meet sad ends being sucked up into the vacuum cleaner! Oh the memories!

Peter Rabbit! Still loving the Beatrix Potter stories until this day and read them to my own son.

Christmas was always more fun when I had a sibling to share it with!

I love this picture as I look so happy sitting next to my Mam. I still remember playing with that Santa decoration on the tree too.

The Christmas where I got my bike, I'm sure it's still in my parents cellar until this day! My lovely dog Fritz too, who sadly we no longer have.

I always loved going into my grandparents house on Christmas Day, seeing all my relatives and swapping gifts. Mini sausage rolls and Cadbury's Roses chocolates always remind me of my grandparents house on Christmas Day. My brother and I used have to wait for each other to get up because no one was allowed into the sitting room until we were all together on Christmas morning. There was always such excitement to see what Santa brought and even until this day we all gather in the sitting room to exchange gifts on Christmas morning, even though I no longer live at home.

My boys and I in the winter wonderland in Believe in Fota Island last year. Tyler Lee was far more interested in the snowy trees and all the lights then the camera.

 Out for the 12 pubs of Christmas, we managed three...

 With my boy on Christmas Eve morning, he was dressed up as Santa!

One of the pictures I took for Tyler Lee's first Christmas photos, he was wrapped up in all the lights, I love him playing with his little foot here and he has no curls!

Now that I'm a mother and a fiance I will always remember my Christmases with my own family, like Jacek and I's first Christmas together which we spent alone in his flat. We were like two lonely shut-ins but we had such a lovely dinner, swapped gifts and snuggled up on the couch watching our favourite movies and TV shows, it was perfect really, afterall, Christmas is about spending time with those you love and we had just got together romantically at that stage and were in that lovely 'honeymoon' stage. Then there was the Christmas when I was pregnant and couldn't drink but everyone else was quite tipsy... that was fun, NOT! At least everyone was happy though! Then came our first Christmas as a family of three with our baby boy, it was so fun to take him to see Santa and put all his gifts together for him. I'll always remember us bringing him down to see his gifts on Christmas morning for the first time ever.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas 2014 and seeing what memories it'll bring us. What are your favourite Christmas memories?