I am really struggling to keep my chin up these days. It is hard to find any positives in the day when you have lost a precious child, you are battling a cold and the pressure to be “merry” has become almost palpable, with December knocking impatiently at the door!

But in the midst of all the pain and rotten, bed-ridden days, we were offered (by two wonderful local charities who got to know us and have worked with us since Georgie died) tickets to two beautiful shows for Emma to enjoy: Disney on Ice at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast and Alladin, the pantomime, at the Grand Opera House. Here are some pictures of the very impressive shows:

I have also been forcing myself to deck the house in Christmas attire and prepare the ground for Christmas, all for Emma’s sake. She is only 5 and it is not fair on her to have no Christmas celebrations nor joy just because we, as parents, feel like hiding away from the world until the 1st of January:

This Saturday it was also our wedding anniversary but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to celebrate as such. We did exchange cards and sort of promised each other that we will try and do better next year. This year nothing feels like celebrating:

I am really trying, I am…I will do the Elf on the shelf and a book-a-day advent calendar with Emma. But I do wish Georgie was here to marvel at the silly Elf and pull at the Christmas wrapping paper…For Emma, the magic will have to still be there but for me, there is no more magic…