A very goldfields Christmas. Alternatively titled: holiday season wrap up

Hoping everyone had a lovely Christmas/New Year and 2013 is going well so far. Here's a wrap-up of our festive season, in point form and pics:

* Christmas Eve: proceedings started off a little bit glam, at least as far as my feet were concerned. I wore these pretty heels out to dinner with my sister and her work mates. We had a great time, save for one slightly embarrassing moment when Rosie swiped a piece of garlic bread out of a girl's hand and shoved it in her gob. By the end of the week my feet were much less glamorous thanks to the polish being chipped and the skin stained by sun, sand and dirt. 

* Christmas Day: Was a fantastic day. Was the first time I've had it with my family in several years, and of course was Rosie's first ever, so it was a special time. She especially liked the wrapping paper and ribbons. I especially liked the wine. Paul especially liked the dessert selection.

* The following week: Was beach time! We headed south with my parents to the Esperance region for a week of seaside camping. As did about half of the rest of WA - we picked one of the more remote sites (Seal Creek campsite in Cape Arid National Park) and even it was full for most of our stay. 

Highlights included the stunning beaches, hooking a tasty mulloway that fed us for two nights (Paul's efforts), a couple of hours all to myself one morning while the others went to the beach, a reprieve from the heat of the goldfields and the general lazing about one does while on holidays. Rosie took to camping quite well and was keen to sample the local fare: 

I think someone's been watching too many survival shows on the
Discovery Channel with daddy.

Lowlights included a) getting bogged in the sand and b) getting bogged in the sand. This was all Paul's fault of course - he was driving - but he felt so foolish I didn't even really have the option of properly berating him. He particularly felt like a grade A buffoon when we'd walked part of the way back to camp and upon leaving the soft sand part for the gravel road part he realised he'd left his shoes at the floundering ute. He soldiered on until he could go no further and dived off the road onto his back, his smoking feet waggling in the air like those of an upturned turtle. 
Lowlight #2 was finding a live ginormous biggish spider in our tent when we packed up. Not sure I'll ever feel secure in that tent again. 

Then we came home to 45+ degree weather and the cool sea breezes and frigid ocean (it was so bloody cold it took me to the last day to work up to having a swim) seemed like a distant memory. It was worth it though to be back to a sand-free bed in a spider-free room. 

How was your Christmas season? Do anything exciting?