That's It For Another Year

So Christmas is over for another year and, like every year, we had a boozy Christmas Eve lunch with friends, attended the Christingle service at St. Johns as the only family without young children, took the Star Ferry across the harbour to see the lights on the skyscrapers, had a couple of cocktails in a bar to reward ourselves for being so holy, watched The Snowman and then went to bed uncharacteristically early on account of it being Christmas Eve – Father Christmas won’t come if we’re up, you see. Christmas began with the opening of stockings, followed swiftly by Bucks Fizz and honey-glazed ham on toast, phone calls to the Australian family (accompanied by more bubbles – they don’t really stop after the first glass at breakfast), present-opening, a light lunch of smoked salmon, canapés and cheese, a quick stroll around the harbour-front to walk off some of the booze and nibbles, a family game of Cranium (accompanied by accusations of cheating and a few raised voices, naturally – it wouldn’t be a family board game without it), evening drinks, more family phone calls, changing into evening wear, more present-opening, and then the big Christmas dinner. By that point we are well and truly done in and bed calls. It really is an exhausting time of year.