It's been a cold, cold, Christmas!

We have been without heating over the last few weeks,  after our central heating boiler broke down. We have no hot water and have been reliant on our beanie hotties to keep our feet warm in bed!

My husband reminded our children that in fact it was no different to our own childhood, where we woke up to ice on the windows, dried our clothes on an airer in front of an open fire and hot footed it downstairs every morning to warm ourselves!

We didn't have a shower in those days and baths were weekly rather than daily. Things have changed in a matter of four decade's.

It hasn't all been doom and gloom as we've found ourselves each evening, gathered round the gas stove, my daughter curled up in her onsie reading her new Christmas books, her brothers playing on the ipad or watching movies on the television.Normally everyone would have been doing their own thing in their bedrooms or in the teenage space above our garage.

We've missed the spontaneity of having a bath when we want one but we have been overwhelmed by offers of help. It was nice however to spend a week over Christmas in the warmth of a lovely Scottish apartment.

Anyway, all those lovely socks and woolly hats and onsies we got for Christmas have come in especially handy this year and made me realise even more just how precious those everyday practical gifts really are.They'll get used again and again and the love that came with them will be remembered every time we put them on! So thank you everyone for our wonderful gifts. They have given us an especially "warm feeling" this year!