This holiday season has been both very similar to and quite different from its predecessors. It started way back on Wednesday 23 December. I was supposed to be at the office working, but I traded a day off and stayed home so that I could help get ready. We’re terrible domestic organisers here at Merton Way, so I spent the day running around and doing last minute shopping and doing some cleaning and organising. I did also fit in a coffee with Jeremy (Sophie came along and made her dad very proud), and Theresa dropped over in the afternoon. Good friends really do make Christmas worthwhile.

The morning of the 24th was similar. Last minute stuff before we jumped into the car and headed down to Applecross for a 3pm early family Christmas dinner. My sister and her partner were housesitting a lovely two-storey house for a week and we were headed there for dinner and such. There was swimming and laughing and sitting outside in the grand Pavilion, followed by dinner and drinking and presents. All in all, a fine evening. We had the young ones home in bed on the stroke of midnight, which seemed appropriate.

Christmas Day dawned warm and sunny. We had my brother and mother coming over for lunch, but started with an exchange of family gifts, the opening of presents from the Man in Red, and then breakfast. I think everyone was happy with their presents, especially the girls who made out quite indecently really. Family arrived at noon, dining commenced and all was well. If there was a flaw, and it’s hard to parse quite how it happened, I ended up too sober and insufficiently overfed to really slip into the Christmas night cheer, but that was cool.

Boxing Day was the day friends we’re coming for a party. We were disapppointed Tea and crew couldn’t come, but we had a grand time with Shaun, Inari, Stefan, Janet, Nick, Amanda, Robin & Toula. We ate, we drank, we talked and laughed. A good way to see out the holidays.

Sunday was a bit less fun. Marianne fell victim to a bug that had been chasing her and has spent from Sunday till today largely wiped out by bronchitis. It’s been hard for her, and at times a little tiring for me, but I’ve had a lot of fun with the girls too. We’ve been swimming, shopping, and out for excursions. Good things for a dad to do with his daughters at year’s end.

And now we’re in 2010 and I’m 46. I will post some NY stuff. I want to. It might be tomorrow, though. Not enough work has been done.

Still, happy 2010!!!!!