I think this was the busiest Christmas- New Year season I’ve ever had in my entire life. Ok, maybe except for the time when I was 17 and in charge of the carolling programme in church.
The flurry started in early-December when Littlelam and I made Christmas cards, using an old potato that had sprouted:

Step 1) Select an old, sprouted potato (to reduce waste!)

Step 2) Cut potato in half, and etch out the desired shapes on both halves.
(Here’s where the kids can help out)

Step 3) Put paint on the newly made 'stamps'

Step 4) Get the kids to print on colourful paper.

Step 5) The end product!
An alternative, cheap way to make great wrapping paper:

Step 6) Make multiple prints on large sheets of paper for homemade wrapping paper!
Then the next batch of madness was when we (or more accurately, I) baked a humongous batch of rather disastrous Christmas sugar cookies that refused to hold their shape. But I didn’t have time to re-bake another batch for Littlelam’s entire class in school and her teachers, so I just had to salvage the situation by decorating and ‘packaging’ everything nicely!

Then when Christmas week came, we were busy with parties/programmes/weddings every single night till the New Year. *faints*
In the midst of it all though, I’m very thankful that we did manage to spend time with family and friends, and not just in the stuffing yourself silly and exchanging presents sort of way. There were many moments of shared joy, pain and also the remembrance of the real meaning of Christmas – that Jesus is truly the Reason for the Season.
So while this has been the busiest Christmas, it has also been one of the most thankful Christmasses I’ve ever had.