And so that was Christmas

• The sounds, the smells as the flat's very first Christmas meal is assembled ingredient by ingredient in the kitchen.
• Classic FM's Top 30 carols playing in the background as we cook and wrap presents to take to the family on Boxing Day. Opinion of Anne-Marie Minhall being severely dented when she reveals that her favourite Christmas tune is "Sleigh Ride", or something of that ilk.
• The Christmas pudding brandy catching fire. Eventually.
• Five nights in a conventional double bed. Good grief those things are titchy! How does any couple with one of those things manage not to divorce on the grounds of physical incompatibility, i.e. their spouse takes up more space than a matchbox?
• One less murdering tyrant in the world than there was a year ago. (In fact two, if you count Pinochet.)
• "Mummy?" / "I'm not your mummy." / "Mummy?" / "I'm your Uncle Ben." / "Mummy?" / "Mummy's gone into town." / "Mummy?" / "She'll be back soon." / "Mummy?" / "I'm not your mummy ..." 21-month-old niece auditions for a part in Dr Who.
• Wondering how the mouse traps are doing ...

Happy New Year!