Looks like my contract at Sky may be extended. Totally impressed with the way Sky has embraced Christmas for staff and families: The place is totally decked out with tasteful Christmas trees and lights. They’ve laid-on a family day with a fun fair and food for the kids and even constructed an ice rink for the staff to enjoy during the festive period.  I took our kids to the ice rink at Sky the day after Boxing Day (must post a couple of videos) while Sonja sadly had to work for the day.

France has been having problems this month with these ‘Yellow Jacket’  activists.  Initially this  movement was ‘Mouvement des gilets jaunes’  protesting about higher fuel prices and higher cost of living.  As it has scaled out across the country it is reported to be taking more of an anti-capitalism stance. From the news clips it looks like their exchanges with the authorities are becoming quite violent, especially in Paris. It seems they don’t like Macron’s policies and have taken to vandalising the city and getting more than a bit pushy and shouty with the police who are retaliating with force.

At home the sparkle and joy of Christmas has returned again.  Of course, as the kids have grown and flourished through their primary school years and into secondary school, the magical childhood view of Christmas has dissipated somewhat and is being replaced by the more grown-up thrills and fun of festive social gatherings and celebrations.  The closest we got to a magical moment this year was a family trip to the Ice Skating rink in grounds of the National History Museum. It really was beautiful and enchanting. ON of the joys of the kids maturing into their teenage years is that these family trips out can be extended to include diversions into more adult focussed restaurants. To this end we called into the wonderfully vibrant Comptoir Libanais for an excellent meal. Great food, great atmosphere.  Hopefully we’ll be repeating that again  and in the mean time  I’ll  include some pics in LINK ‘Events’ to remind me of this day.

I love our traditional family trip to buy the tree, always from the Oxenford  Farm in Elsted with the reindeer, chickens, the big old bull and the aroma of gluhwein and cinnamon sticks.  Everyone is in such good mood as loads of families are all imagining each of the trees on offer in the homes. It has to be the right tree. I love the whole routine of getting the tree off the roof of the car, into the house and  stood up, in it’s place in the dining room. In recent years this as often involved the use of a saw to shorten the trunk to make it fit.  Then as we’re decorating, out comes the reassuring  glass of port or sherry, then sitting in front of the fire when the hard work is done.   Love it!

Christmas Day was just wonderful, as was Boxing Day which I almost enjoy more as it’s more chilled and relaxed. Life is very good at the moment and full of joy.