Off Topic Forum - favourite thing about christmas

I love Christmas Eve and putting all the wrapped gifts and presents for de minors beneath the Christmas tree, and on the sofas and floor so that the place is magical and like wonderland for them the very next morning. I fill their stockings full of goodies and place a few toys at the end of their beds and last year I became inventive and left a trail of what I thought resembled the nearest thing to snowballs that I could find dans la Tropics and left a Hansel'n Grettal gone wrong trail of cotton (100%) wool balls leading from their beds across the top rooms, down the stairs and into the living room towards de tree. I gingerly scattered a few small little presents beautifully gift wrapped here and there for special effect and to give the illusion that a few things had innocently fallen from Santa's bag as he hurried down the stairs to leave the gifts. I was up before 5.am dot com like the lone elf that had escaped from Portrane doing all the finishing touches and trying balloons around de homestead....naturally enough they all started bursting one by one which was a pain in de bum and was nothing short of giving everyone colonic irrations a la carte for the rest of the day with de fright. When the minors woke up I was expecting to hear a joyous exclamation from them on seeing the wanna be snow balls that were gingerly loitering on the floor. Instead I was subjected to and I quote "Why are there cotton wool balls all over the floor?" In my best non Oscar winning Scarlet O Harlot voice I casually replied that it looked very much like snow balls to me ... trying to break on thru to de other side and get them in tune with their imagination. Andres looked at me as tho I was el deranged and said "No mum! They're cotton wool balls!" kicked one in de air and shouted "Come on Veacha! Lets see did Santa come!" Was'nt quite expecting such a Baltic response but luckily I am a girl who ignores such trivia! There was great excitement as they looked down the stairs and saw the wonderland of gifts and the excitement when they saw that Santa had demolished his bottle of cider and biscuits, plus Rudolf too. I had suggested that the red nosed one could have been left a bottle of cider (which may I add I was looking forward to having myself !!!) but my offspring put me in my place and informed me that he could not have alcohol as he was driving de bloody slay!!! He informed me yesterday that he is buying the red nosed one and de man in red 'Lukazade' ... i hope it will be laced with something else if ye get my drift! This year I was planning on omitting the said cotton wool balls phomonima from the whole festive scenario until two days ago I heard Andres telling Veacha that Santa always leaves a trail of snow balls from their bedroom down to wherever the gifts are. Since they were upgraded and back in fashion this season I had to run out and purchase a few bags of ECO friendly 100% cotton wool balls. This year Andres is 6yrs old and the girls are 4yr, 2yr & 1yr so the little ones should be more aware of everything. The only thing that pees me off as we in de trade say is that the toys nowadays are wired and tied so securely into the boxes that it would be far easier to break (a) wind or (b) out of al Catraz blindfolded. Then you have to assemble everything and then you are required to provide batteries for most toys!!! When I was small you got a toy and it was complete when you took it out of the box. There was none of this farting around doing D.I.Y stuff and needing Masters Degrees to put something together for a two year old. Not looking forward to that bit this year but I'll be prepared mind you with a 'Screwdriver' in hand de following morn!! Shaken not stirred!!!