Gatherings

Nanna, Grandad, and a girl licking her lips at the prospect of more sprouts

Food is at the epicentre of all our family gatherings.

Whether it's a wedding, christening, funeral, birthday, or parole party, our clan is big on eating. Literally. We are definitely big, and it’s definitely down to eating.

Christmas, of course, is no exception.

It can be a challenge with a child with Prader-Willi Syndrome, who is always hungry (as opposed to the rest of us, who just continue to eat, despite being utterly stuffed).

My daughter doesn't know what it feels like to be full. Her brain doesn't tell her this. My brain, and the buttons popping off my straining clothes tell me, but then I'm just an idiot who doesn't listen.

However, there are methods to avoid the madness at Christmas and keep our daughter happy on the food front:

• First of all, there’s none of this waiting until after the Queen’s Speech to tuck into your scran. No, no, no. My daughter’s dinner-time is usually 12 noon on the dot. On Christmas Day we stretch this out until 1pm, then get stuck in.
  
• She has boiled potatoes and just one roastie, instead of a heap of the crispy fat-coated spuds.
  
• Veggies are piled sky high, including sprouts, which could accurately be described as throwing caution to the...er...‘wind’.
  
• A small portion of Weight-Watchers recipe Christmas pud is allowed.
  
• Breadsticks, raisins, and other assorted low-fat snacks and no-sugar sweets are rationed out throughout the day when the choccies and biscuits are passed round.

Now usually this all happens at my mum & dad’s house. When I say usually, I actually mean that this is what has happened for the past 40 years. That’s a lot of turkey and cranberry sauce under the bridge.

But this year, having moved back to my home town, I’m doing the festive fare.

I’m pretty chilled about it though. I’ve been working out all the timings and I’ve got it sorted: two and a half hours. Plus 20 minutes. That isn’t for the turkey - that’s how long before dinner I plan to start drinking. Well, I don’t want to be under-done.

I'll see you all the other side of Christmas. I'll still be picking the glitter out of the carpet (Santa's little elves and reindeers leave a dusting of it, didn't you know this?). My daughter will be writing her thankyou notes. My toddler will have broken every single toy he's been given.

I love Christmas. Have a great one.

Video is The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride