Unusually for me, festive spirit has been in short supply so far in December, despite my visit to the Christmas market in Gothenburg giving me an initial shot of seasonal cheer last week.

That trip to Sweden with work plus a frenetic gallop towards the end of my year has meant I haven’t had much time to think about the impending arrival of Christmas. I’ve certainly been feeling more stressed than festive at all this week.

However, a day on my own with all three kids yesterday helped kick-start things properly. Not that it was all joy and happiness – Kara in particular took it upon herself to be a complete diva for much of the day, while Isaac was in one of those moods where he had to be told at least three times – asked first time, nudged firmly the second and being shouted at the third – before doing anything at all.

In between some of my less exemplary and tolerant pieces of parenting, though, we put up and decorated our spare Christmas tree, which takes pride of place in the playroom. I say ‘we’ – actually it was all the kids’ handiwork while I merely hovered in the background mediating the inevitable squabbles over who should put up which decorations in which order and conducting singalongs to the Now That’s What I Call Christmas CD. (That last bit is very important – we’re a music-loving household.)

And for all Kara’s diva strops and tears, she’s the most enthusiastic and excited of all when it comes to anything Christmas-related. Having completed her work on the tree, she disappeared upstairs and re-emerged a few minutes later in her elf costume from last year.

Now I’m definitely in the festive spirit. (I’ve also been on the Baileys this evening, which may have contributed too.)

If ever someone decides to make Elf 2 and Will Ferrell isn’t available, I know a certain young lady who would be more than happy to stand in …

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