Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all!
I hope you had, or you are still having a great time!
Thank you all for reading, following and commenting on my blog! I really enjoy writing it!
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day news!
Christmas Eve was very very quiet.
 I had to do the last minute supermarket shopping all by myself as hubby is in bed with his backache. I didn't really enjoy that but I had to.
Then I prepared some things for the next day!
In the evening I turned on all the Christmas lights on the tree and around the living room and cried my heart out watching the most amazing Christmas movie which is based on a First World War real story. You shouldn't miss it if you haven't seen it already! It is called "Joyeux Noel" ("Merry Christmas") and here is a bit about what happens in it.

"On Christmas Eve during world War I, the Germans, French, and Scottish fraternize and get to know the men who live on the opposite side of a brutal war, in what became a true lesson of humanity. "

You can watch the most amazing scene here to get an idea!

A most wonderful anti-war real story movie to spend a lonely Christmas Eve!

I then opened my friend Angela's from Canada gift but gifts will be shown later in another blogpost.

 On Christmas morning I went to church with my mum and son. I am not a real church goer but a parent has to set an example.As my teenage son tried to avoid it I went along and it was nice this Christmas morning to listen to the church choir with hymns and great voices all united in harmony to celebrate the birth of Christ!

Then I did certain preparations for going to my brother's.

Here is what I prepared.

 Cheese and anise muffins.

 Upside down pineapple cake.

I found the recipe in this great book They draw and cook. I replaced raisins with cranberries.

I had some hard time taking it out and as my son said "The cake was afraid of me!"

And I also made coleslaw my way with only cabbage,carrot,red pepper and celery with a sauce of lemon, olive oil, vinegar, salt, red pepper and a bit of brown sugar.

Here is the page from the book.

We had a great Christmas dinner at my brother's. They prepared a fantastic turkey with a delicious minced meat, rice and chestnut stuffing and lots of appetisers.

 We had Christmas crackers all the way from England, my friend Cathy sent them last year after the holidays and I kept them for the fun of it!

The turkey stuffing, the coleslaw and my mum's stuffed vine leaves.

We skyped with relatives,

 listened to Christmas carols from all around Greece and ate lots of sweets.

 My brother's baklava...

 my niece's little chocolate balls....

and my pineapple upside down cake.

We ate so much!!!!!!

We don't exchange gifts but here is something small I gave them for their new flat.

Pomegranate for prosperity something Greek families really miss this Christmas.

This is from the Thessaloniki Folk Museum bazaar.

And here are some extra photos from their lovely glass Christmas tree collection.

I hope you didn't get tired of this long post!