It's been a special Christmas for professional dancers James and Ola Jordan and their two-year-old daughter Ella, who also have Ola's parents staying from Poland for the festive period.
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The HELLO! parenting columnists and former Strictly stars told us all about how they celebrated Christmas this year, which involved both Polish and British traditions. You can watch Ella meeting father Christmas and visiting Castlemas at Tonbridge Castle in our exclusive video below…
WATCH: Ella meeta Father Christmas and plays in the snow
Find out how the Jordan family enjoyed Christmas with little Ella here…
Ella's visit to Father Christmas
James: Just before Christmas, we took Ella to a place called Castlemas at Tonbridge Castle, which is about 15 minutes from us. They take over the castle grounds and create this mini Christmas world with stands and shows. We went to see a show called the Snow Queen, which was good with nice dancers, a bit like a circus come pantomime.
Ola: And Grandad and Ella fell asleep!
James: Then we went to Pizza Express and came back to watch the snowfall with all the snow machines – Ella loves that. It was really pretty with the lights.
Then we went to see Father Christmas… who everyone keeps calling Santa, which really winds me up. It's Father Christmas, not Santa. The country needs to bring back Father Christmas, not this bloody Santa guy. Everyone's worried about all other wokeness but I'm saying Father Christmas needs to come back!,
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Ella meets Father Christmas
Ola: Who did we go and see Ella?
Ella: Father Christmas and the Snow Queen and Tod!
Ola: That's her best friend Tod. She was kissing him – and she's five.
James: You weren't exactly playing hard to get were you Ella? I was saying, 'No, no, no!'
Ella with her friend Tod
Ola: Ella loved seeing Father Christmas though. She went straight up to him, he said hello and she sat on his lap. And what did you say to him, Ella?
Ella: Thank you teddy bear.
Ola: He gave you a teddy bear, didn't he? It was very cute.
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Christmas at the Jordans'
Ola: We have two Christmas celebrations at home. Christmas Eve is the Polish dinner, so we celebrate Christmas Eve with my Polish family. It's called Wigilia. We celebrate it on the 24 December and we have fish. Then, on Christmas Day we celebrate the English tradition which is the turkey.
James: In Poland, Father Christmas comes on Christmas Eve, so he delivers the present then. But obviously because we're in England, it's later so he doesn't get the presents here until Christmas morning in the day. But Ola was always used to opening presents on Christmas Eve. That's their important day.
HELLO!: Does Ella like Polish food?
James: Not really! They always used to give me meat because I didn't like fish, but I like it now as I've got older.
The Jordans meet Father Christmas
Ola: Christmas Day was lovely this year. Ella obviously woke up super early and had so much fun opening her stocking, with presents and wrapping everywhere. Then we had a cooked breakfast (requested by James) and we opened the presents under the tree.
We all went for a walk together, as there are some really nice walks where we're living at the moment. We've been working so much recently, we just wanted to chill at Christmas this year.
Ola: Ella, tell everyone what your favourite Christmas movie is…
Ella: The Grinch one!
Ella's also been doing a spot of redecorating the Christmas tree, moving baubles into one spot in colour-coded batches.
Ola: She's moved all the baubles! All the red ones are together at the bottom of the tree.
James: It's not a great look though Ella. Daddy's moving those later.
Ella's naughty moment
At this point Ella throws her pens around the table and screams at her dad when she's told off…
James: Um Ella! Naughty! Honestly, she's so naughty at the moment. [Ella draws on the table...] Ella, you draw on my table one more time! Say sorry now.
Ella: Sorry.
James: That's better.
Ola: Parenting is going really well here…
James: I don't know what it is with her attitude. It's like she's a 12-year-old already.
A special Christmas for the Jordans
Ola: Things need to change, so when my mum and dad have gone back to Poland in the New Year, we need to be a bit stricter with Ella. Maybe we need to bring the naughty step in, because that hasn't happened yet, and it needs to.
James: I've got a friend who we told about Ella's behaviour. He said, 'Well she's two and half, that's what they're like.' Well, I won't put up with it though, that's the difference. He's a different person to me; he's much more laid back, whereas I'm more like, there's still right and wrong and she needs to learn that we're the boss, not her. At the moment, she's the boss, I'm telling you, and it really winds me up.
Ola: The problem is we're letting her do it because we just want a quieter life. She's full on. But then sometimes some kids are wilder than others, aren't they?
James: She's really pushing the boundaries.
Looks like there's a New Year's Resolution brewing in the Jordan household…
