It's beginning to look a lot (not) like Christmas

#Introduction

Christmas time. Mistletoe and wine. Children singing Christian rhymes. Logs on the fire and gifts on the tree. Ok so that is stolen from a Cliff Richard song but it does sum up Christmas in the traditional sense. It is also a song that reminds me of my childhood since it is used in a film version of The Little Match Girl starring Roger Daltery and Twiggy which to me is brilliant but to those that only see the film for a first time as an adult (or those who clearly grew up with more English speaking TV) find it atrocious. I urge you to watch it next Christmas to make up your own mind.

It occurred to me that I have been lucky enough to spend Christmas in various locations around the Globe experiencing a very different Christmas Day each time. I am going to share these with you now in bite size chunks. Clearly that’s not in keeping with the typical overindulgence we see at Christmas. Enjoy and Merry Christmas.

Christmas #1: Athens

I was born in Athens so my first 9 Christmas’ were all spent there with my Mum, Dad and sister. Back in those days prior to the launch of low coast airlines it was expensive to travel back to the UK (especially at peak times) so we used to save up our UK trip to visit the familiars until the summer when we would go back for a month. Therefore Athens it was for the festive season. I have such fond memories of our time there. Which child doesn’t cherish the memory of their early Christmas’ when Santa was actually real? It was also the time before satellite TV so we didn’t have very much in the way of English speaking programmes to watch so Mum and Dad used to video (on Betamax no less) anything English so that we could watch things over and over again. The two festive favourites were The Little Match Girl and the Osmond Family Christmas. Watching both on YouTube still fills me with warmth (more so than mulled wine.) The school my sister and I attended was small (around 200 pupils in total) with the majority of the expatriate families also spending Christmas in Athens. The school used to put on a Christmas Fayre one evening which would involve all the Mums making decorations to be sold. I may be biased but the creativity of making decorations out of pine cones, pasta and wool still impresses me and I still put some of them on my Christmas tree to this day. In fact the angel that makes it to the top of my tree year after year is one that I made out of a toilet roll in my first year at the school. It pains me that the World has gone made and schools / nurseries are not allowed kids to use toilet rolls to make things due to health and safety. Really? Is that necessary? I digress. The Christmas Fayre would also feature a children’s room where we would go and buy presents for our parents in secret. Brilliant idea to let young people loose with their pocket money in a room full of gifts no parent particularly wants. My sister bought my Dad a Bob Marley tape once. His non love of reggae makes me believe his acting skills were clearly underrated as my sister really believed he loved his gift. The fayre finished with mince pies and Christmas carol singing (with the piano being played by the music teacher) which I remember very fondly to this day. I think it’s where my love of carols came from. On Christmas Eve the same family always used to hold a party. Adults drinking downstairs with us kids upstairs playing. Christmas Day we usually spent with one or two other families (alternating between houses each year) eating a traditional Christmas dinner again with adults up around one end of the table and kids at the other. On Boxing Day the Round Table association that Dad belonged to organised a walk in the hills outside Athens. I remember it snowing one year. I recall one of the adults arriving with a walking stick that had a glass rod down the middle filled with whiskey. Genius. My parents always used to hold a party on 6^th January. I used to love it. They carried on the tradition even after we left Greece. 2000 miles by The Pretenders always reminds me of those dos. It really was like a little community we had out there and I loved it. Christmas was a fun time.    

Christmas #2: Liverpool

When I was 10 we moved to Brussels. This meant we were closer to the UK and when it came to Christmas my sister and I asked whether we could spend Christmas in Liverpool with the extended family. We did so for the next few years. It was like a family Christmas but on steroids. I have 5 sets of Auntie and Uncles and a total of 10 first cousins. That’s a lot of Scouse action to be had and we wanted to be part of it. Drinking, eating and all things traditional featured but some highlights of my family time there include the following. Guessing which Auntie would always consume the most alcohol. I was usually right. Still getting to pretend that Santa was real for longer than most teenagers in order to keep up appearances for the younger cousins. Watching The Snowman on Christmas Eve. Having my cousin tell me that he was still awake when our parents put the presents in the room in which we slept. I denied this could be true of course. Building gingerbread houses. Playing Sega Game Gear. Dancing. Feeling like the chaotic scene at the start of Home Alone was based on our family. Crying when we had to leave everyone to go home. Great times that could have happened in any city but they were in Liverpool and thus the city will forever be in my heart at Christmas time. I no longer spend actual Christmas there but have started a new tradition of taking part in the Liverpool Santa Dash as the start of December with my extended family thus Liverpool is still firmly part of my Christmas schedule.

Christmas #3: Brussels

Living in Brussels we wanted to be at home there for at least one Christmas. So we did. My Aunt and Uncle and 4 cousins were due to arrive a few days before the big event. We showed them the sights. The Atomium. Our local park in Tervuren (which is spectacular.) I say that without being biased as it genuinely is a park worth visiting once in your life. The lakes had frozen so it made perfect for festive walks to work up an appetite and burn off our teenage energy. We went to see Miracle on 34^th Street at the cinema. My sister and I panicked when it was about not believing in Santa. Our 7 year old cousin didn’t seem to question the legalities of whether Santa was real or not. Panic over. We visited the crib in the Grand Place which is a much underrated central square. The Gothic architecture combined with the festive lights and atmosphere is really something to savour.  If not in winter then during the bi-annual flower carpet that fills the entire square. Go to Belgium and see it please. Christmas Day was chaotic. Wrapping paper everywhere. A Turkey that nearly didn’t fit in the oven. Lots of laughs. On the 30^th December we were up relaxing in the living room. My Dad and Uncle were out buying beer. It didn’t occur to me to be a strange activity for them to be doing at 9am in the morning. Without warning the door flung open and in walked another Auntie and Uncle and three cousins. I was shocked. I went white. I was confused. I was excited. My sister laughed a lot. We eventually calmed down from the surprise when it happened again. Another Auntie and Uncle and baby cousin came in. The same feelings happened. I nearly fainted. It remains the best surprise I have ever had and the thought of it still brings tears to my eyes. We revisited the sights as a larger group and had a party on New Year’s Eve. Us kids danced. The parents got drunk. A drunk Uncle gatecrashed the party across the road. We celebrated New Year’s twice (once at Belgian midnight and once at UK midnight.) I remember both. I am pretty sure aforementioned Uncle remembers neither. Brussels is a fantastic place year round but especially at Christmas time. Markets, beer, chocolate and chilly weather. What could be more festive than that?

Christmas #4: Tunisia

What to do at Christmas? We had been spending them in recent years at my parents’ house just the four of us but now fancied something different. Holiday? Tunisia? Done. We were booked to go for a week in the sun to a country that didn’t celebrate Christmas. What would it be like? Upon arrival we found that the hotel was actually catering for the Western tourists (which wasn’t a huge amount) that were staying at their abode. There was a Christmas tree. Santa played host to the raffle and a gala dinner on Christmas Eve. I won a plate with a picture of the hotel on. Lucky me. Tunisia was a beautiful setting and the temperature was lovely. Christmas Day started off with a walk along Hammammet beach. Lunch was a pizza by the pool. The evening was a few drinks in the hotel bar. It was a splendid way to spend the day and made a real change to end the day without feeling bloated, drunk or already hungover. Boxing Day had us up early for a two day trip in the Sahara dessert. We visited the second largest remaining Roman amphitheater (second only to the Coliseum in Rome.) It’s a spectacular piece of architecture. We drove through salt plains. We visited the original set of Star Wars. The doors to the huts were as small as you would imagine. The set looks exactly how it did in the movie. We stopped at the cliffs where part of The English Patient was filmed. We saw where parts of Laurence of Arabia were filmed. Who needs tours of Hollywood? Get yourself to Tunisia instead. We rode camels at sunset across the dessert. My Dad’s galloped off with him on it. Fortunately not too far and unwanted injury was avoided. A day later we returned to the beach for relaxation, a few games organised by the one man entertainment team (who incidentally had played Santa at said Christmas Eve gala dinner) and ate stuffed dates. We took a very quick dip in the sea and took a selfie to prove it. It was more challenging than you think. The sea was cold. The selfie was taken on a disposable camera so there was no knowing if the shot looked good or not. In the end I can confirm that it did. Whilst the hotel was offering a little festive cheer the town itself was without Christmas decorations (as it should have been being a Muslim country.) I thoroughly enjoyed Tunisia as a place to visit and would definitely go back. Christmas in an understated fashion was enjoyable and something I would repeat in the future.

Christmas #5: Sydney

I purchased a round the World airfare ticket when finishing University. The ticket was London – Bangkok – Singapore – Sydney – Christchurch – Los Angeles – NYC – London. I planned it so that I spent Christmas in Sydney. I arrived in the city in mid-November and found a city centre hostel as a base. My first outing in Darling Harbour was to watch the Christmas lights get switched on. They were pretty. There was dancing by some local kids dance troupes. They used techno version of Christmas songs to dance to. They had some adult moves for kids of that age. Nonetheless the Christmas spirit was instilled within me. Christmas Eve came and we decided to deviate from our traveller budgets and have a meal in an actual restaurant. We went to Darling Harbour. We had lovely food overlooking the harbour. I was impressed that the Novotel had turned out some of the lights from its name so that it simply read Noel. Clever people. We had drinks and sang the twelve days of Christmas. We toasted Christmas at midnight. Christmas morning we awoke in our hostel and exchanged our one present. Three of us were travelling together and had done secret Santa. No so secret when you think about it really. We were then in charge of cooking our own Christmas dinner. Panic. Panic over when we had bought a pre-cooked chicken thus only needed to do vegetables and gravy. We thought about cooking prawns for starters. We didn’t as we thought we may under cook them. How did we not know that once they are pink they are ready? I placed a pan on the hob to cook its contents. Other residents informed me that that ring didn’t work. Clearly I had been cooking often. We ate our meal. It was fun. We had hosted our first Christmas dinner. We had bought crackers to allow us to look silly in paper hats. We made our way down to Bondi beach post lunch. It was packed with other travellers. We sat on the beach and had a beer. It rained. We still swam in the sea just to say we had. It was still warm. We returned to our hostel. We had a lovely day. A few days later it was New Year’s Eve. What an amazing city to see in the New Year. We made our way down to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. We set up our picnic for the day. We were overlooking the mighty Harbour Bridge and Opera house. One of my favourite vistas ever. We ate lots of food. We admired the boats that filled the harbour. We drank but not to excess. We needlessly worried when the 9pm fireworks were cancelled due to high winds. The midnight proceeded. They were spectacular. They ended with the word “peace” written across the bridge. A beautiful message to start the New Year. We walked home through Hyde Park. We went on some fair-ground rides. It was a wonderful end to the year and start of a new one.   

Christmas #6: Malta

We were enjoying lunch alfresco in the summer in England when I suggested to my parents we spend Christmas in Malta. I had not been there before. They had. They knew the island fairly well and liked it. The next week we were booked up for a short break to the Mediterranean isle. We experienced the heat as soon as the aeroplane door opened. I love that feeling. It takes me back to my youth when we used to arrive home in Greece. We spent time in the beautiful capital Valletta. It is a much underrated city and one which I never tired of walking around. The ancient buildings create a fantastic atmosphere. I learnt that the film Alexander was filmed there. We ate the local dish of rabbit several times. It was tasty. We were shown the bar in which Oliver Reed died. We took a boat trip around the harbour underneath the sunshine. On Christmas Eve we had a gala dinner at the hotel. We shared a table with some Germans. We managed to communicate through broken English, broken German and the universal language of sign. Our communication became better after a few bottles of red. We adjourned to the disco for a few drinks where I remember dancing to “we like to boogie” with my Mum. Rock n Roll. Christmas Day we toured the island stopping in some gorgeous bays and a park for a play on the swings. We had dinner in St Julian’s Bay which is charming setting. We walked through Paceville on the way home. It was crazy with young people in bars. To my regret we didn’t stop. On Boxing Day we awoke to the news of the tsunami in South East Asia. It started with reports of around 50 people having died. By the end of the day it was in the hundreds of thousands. Terrible. We met up with my Dad’s relatives who spent their winters in Malta. We tried to cross the water to visit Gozo but the waves were so big no ferries were operating. The waves made impressive photos though. All too soon our trip was over and we returned to Blighty for another “Christmas” in my parents’ house to celebrate with my sister and brother in law. Malta treated me well and one day I would like to return this time making it to Gozo too.

Christmas #7: Rome

Rome seemed like a perfect place for Christmas. I had never been before. It was on my “to do” list and being a very Catholic city would surely offer a genuine Christmas. It did not disappoint. We checked into our hotel which overlooked St Peter’s. We visited the Vatican City, St Peter’s Basilica, the Coliseum, the Spanish steps and the Forum. It is amazing to see such world famous landmarks all within such close proximity. The city had an understated feel for Christmas but it definitely had a wonderful spirit. The nativity crib was setup in St Peter’s Square but it had no baby Jesus as yet. Out of all the cribs I have seen never before has it been so accurate to not include Jesus until his birthday. The Italians, like most Europeans, have their large celebration for Christmas on the evening of the 24^th. They also like to eat fish. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant overlooking St Peter’s and indulged in 6 courses of fish. It sounds a lot. It was a lot but it was delicious. It remains the only time I have eaten eel. Post dinner we made our way to the square. It was filled with people waiting to watch the large screens as the Pope conducted midnight mass. I am not very religious but it would have been difficult not to have been moved by the service as it took place. Sure enough after midnight Jesus was placed in the crib in the square. My Mum said she had achieved one of her lifelong dreams by being there. That itself made the trip worthwhile. Christmas Day had us heading back to the Square for the Pope’s address from the balcony. Amongst other messages he said Merry Christmas in over 25 languages. It was amazing to witness in the flesh. We walked through the city and had ice cream by the Trevvi Fountain before meeting tradition and throwing a coin backwards into it. We drank coffee in Piazza Novono. It is a real contender for the prize of my favourite square. We bade farewell to Rome. A very different way to spend the day. It was a lovely Roman holiday.

Christmas #8: New York

Steven and I wanted to spend a Christmas just the two of us. We didn’t live together at the time so a holiday was needed to achieve our goal. We both loved NYC. We had never been together so researched trips to go. We found an amazing deal for a 5 night break and were booked. We arrived early evening and checked into our hotel near Grand Central. We had dinner in the station before an early night. I am subsequently much better at dealing with jet lag these days. Our first morning we asked the concierge for a recommendation of a diner for breakfast. He showed us The Comfort Diner. It is remarkable. The food is great. The coffee is actually referred to as a cup of Joe. It’s always busy. We have been every trip to NYC since. It became our staple place to start the day. We wandered the streets to take in the festive (or should I say holiday) atmosphere. It was freezing but the sky was cloudless and beautifully blue. We needed to duck into a Starbucks every 20 minutes on the first day just to warm up. This was not problematic since they are on every corner and the red cup festive flavour drinks are as much part of Christmas as Santa these days. We went to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I loved it. Steven hated it. Christmas Eve came. We caught a glimpse of Santa in Macy’s. I got an “I believe” badge. We went to see the Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. We both loved it. There were high kicks. There were Christmas tunes. There were sparkles. We were had within the first minute. We ate in the trendy Meatpacking district. We hung our stockings up in the hotel room. I felt excited for the next day. Christmas Day was another glorious but cold day. We walked across Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge itself and the views of the city cannot be rivalled. It was a lovely way to work up an appetite before brunch later on in day. All the big new films are released on Christmas Day in the US so we joined in with culture and went to see one. We saw Doubt starring Meryl Streep. It was fantastic. We ate in China Town afterwards. We had one day left. We went to the Top of the Rock. We saw the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller centre. We drank more Starbucks. We visited the Christmas market at Bryant Park. We bought souvenirs. We came home in business class due to a cheeky upgrade. A perfect end to a perfect trip.

Christmas #9: London volume 1

My Dad had been diagnosed with cancer in October. He was undergoing treatment which he was dealing well with but we wanted not to have the stress of cooking so organised a little stay in London for my parents, my sister and brother in law as well as me and Steven. Despite all living in the London area it was a real treat to stay in a hotel in our home town. On Christmas Eve Mum, Dad, Steven and I checked into our riverside hotel near Vauxhall. We had dinner in the hotel and a glass of wine. The hotel had the Google Santa tracker showing live in reception. The first time I had ever seen it. It excited me. Post dinner Steven and I had a lovely walk by the river across to Westminster Abbey with the aim of getting into midnight mass. We expected a large queue. There wasn’t one. We were in. It was chilly inside but the service was beautiful. Christmas morning arrived and we were up early. We exchange one present over a cup of coffee. I gave Steven a nutcracker in the shape of Margaret Thatcher. We went to Hyde Park to watch the Peter Pan Cup swimming race in the Serpentine. The ice on the water needed to be smashed to allow competitors in the water. They were brave. They had our backing and were cheered to the end. They looked cold. We had afternoon tea at The Ritz with the rest of the family. Waiting for our table who else should walk in except for Margaret Thatcher wearing the same outfit as the nutcracker I had given Steven earlier in the day. Priceless. Tea. Scones. Cakes. Champagne and more cakes all followed. Our table neighbours were an eccentric woman who called herself Lady Diamond and her ghost like looking man friend. She claimed she had been a Bond girl. I am not sure I believe her. A wonderful family afternoon. We had dinner in another hotel despite being stuffed. One of my sister’s criteria of not spending Christmas at home was to at least get a Christmas dinner. She did. A lovely couple of days and if you get the chance to be a tourist in your own town at Christmas my advice is to take it up.  

Christmas #10: London volume 2

Following aforementioned successful Christmas trips the parentals and I decided this time we would head to Paris. A short hop away from London on the Eurostar it was all going to be a lovely trip. However; with only three days to go before the big man’s birthday the snow came and brought train services to a screaming halt for one day. The queues then to get onto Eurostar’s limited services were up to 4 hours long regardless of whether you had a reservation or not. There was no way I was going to allow my parents to stand in the still subzero temperatures for that long just to get to Paris. Executive decision made. We would be in London one more year. So two days before the big event we clearly had no food in the house and weren’t about to start preparing that now. Within 2 hours I had what I considered to be a marvellous itinerary for the three of us. It went as so. Check in to a hotel with our rooms overlooking Kensington Palace and Gardens. Kensington Gardens is even more beautiful in winter when it is lined by frost. The fairy tree is one of my favourite trees in the world. Not that I have a full list of top trees but it is a marvellous sight. I digress. We then had a Christmas Eve lights tour around Central London. In my view Carnaby Street always takes the prize for the best lights award followed closely by Covent Garden. I have digressed once more. Dinner in a hotel. Midnight mass at St Martin in the Fields church in Trafalgar Square. Christmas Day lunch cruise on the river Thames. We had turkey which is a rarity for me. Cocktails in our hotel bar afterwards. Boxing Day lunch at the Hard Rock Café followed by a trip around the London Aquarium. I was pleased to say the least to have that all arranged at such short notice. Again it was fun to be a tourist in my home city and London being my favourite place I have ever been to it was a pleasure to be able to see the city almost empty over Christmas. It wasn’t quite the Parisian adventure I had planned but the three days incorporated some of my favourite sights and attractions in London so in a way I am thankful for the snow. Paris would have to wait until the following year.

Christmas #11: Paris

So the three of us wanted to try for Paris again. We needed to convince my sister and brother in law that it would be fun and they could go without turkey for one year. The agreed and off we set on the Eurostar. No snow could stop us this time. The crew sang Christmas songs as we arrived it Paris. It was cheesy. It made me smile though so mission accomplished on their part. We stayed in a lovely hotel just near the Arc de Triomphe. We dined at a restaurant that I had been to with work colleagues before on Christmas Eve. It was as good as I remembered. The mulled wine was tasty. The chocolate profiteroles were divine. On Christmas morning I went for a run before breakfast. It was a beautiful morning weather wise and at 7am there were very few people on the street so I had the city almost to myself. I ran down the Champs Elysees. Along the river past Notre Dame. On my way back along the same route I had a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower and then finished at the Arc. It was a fantastic way to see the city and set me up for the food that was to follow. We all made our way down to the river for a lunch cruise along the Seine. The food was plentiful. The wine was plentiful. The fun we had as a family was plentiful. We saw the sights from the river and enjoyed a walk through the Tulleries in the afternoon. At last we had spent Christmas in Paris and it was great. My sister and brother in law left the following day for the UK so the three of us that remained did some more tourist activities. We had dinner on the Eiffel Tower. I had to borrow a tie to wear from my Dad as they didn’t allow you in the restaurant without one. We went to the Moulin Rouge show. It was camp as tits and thus enjoyable. We did a walking tour around the hidden streets of Montmartre. It was quiet. It was interesting. It is one of the best things I have done in Paris in all the times I have been there. As a last lunch we ate in the Hard Rock Café. Not very French but it was one of the companies I worked with at the time so couldn’t pass up the opportunity to a free lunch when it was on offer. I must also admit that I am partial to a meal in Hard Rock. So Paris was a few years in the making but we did it eventually. It was splendid and a city I would happily spent the festive season in again.

Christmas #12: London again

So it was time to spend Christmas in London again. The usual festivities prevailed in the weeks before. The office Christmas party. Walks around Central London to see the lights. Shopping. Mince pies. The prostate cancer Christmas Carol service. Carols by Candlelight at the Royal Albert Hall on Christmas Eve.  All marvellous. Christmas Day came and me, my Mum and Steven were spending it at our friend Karen’s house. She is a host like no other and puts on a splendid show at any time but especially at Christmas. We arrived. The house looked great. The food smelt great. Alcohol was never ending and chilled to perfection. Karen had two friends also staying whom she knew from her time living in the Middle East. They were a lovely couple. He was Australian. She was Dutch. They cooked for us. They joined in our jokes. They helped us make chocolate vodka shots out of the copious amounts of vodka and Lindt chocolate we had. They shared stories with us. Perhaps a few too many once the alcohol took hold. When we were leaving they were outside smoking in the garden. I noticed he had no shoes on. His toenails were painted. I asked whether he painted them for the same reason I had in the past? Did he have black toenails from running too? No. He just likes to paint his nails she said. Ok then. Time to leave. It turns out that once we left he announced to Karen and his fiancé that he was gay. Queue Eastenders theme music. It then transpired that the pair had met when she had come out of rehab for her Chrystal Meth addition and he was going through hormone therapy for a sex change which he halted once he met his lady. Very random and the most “Christmas TV special” I have experienced in real life for sure. A great day though and one I will never forget. In case you were wondering. Yes…they still got married.

Christmas #13: Grand Cayman

I like sunshine. I like rum. I like beaches. I like jerk food. Therefore a Christmas in the Caribbean was calling. My friend Jennifer lived in Grand Cayman and was marrying a lovely local boy named Adrian. The wedding was planned for 28^th December. Christmas followed closely by a wedding. I was in. I had been once to visit Miss Jennifer briefly on our way to and from Cuba. We literally just had 24 hours there which allowed a quick tour of the island and a swim with the stingrays. I kissed a large stingray. It felt weird. Seems even weirder when you say you have kissed a stingray. So this time spending a bit more time with her and her family as well as longer on the island was going to be a treat. Lots happened in the week. It started like this. My niece turned 2 on 21^st December 2014. We had a party for her at my house. Lots of kids. Lots of cake. Lots of fun. We cleared up post party and went straight to Heathrow. We flew to New York. We stayed at an airport hotel. The room was no passion pit but it would do. We were only in it for 4 hours. We left a chilly NYC and landed in a sunny Grand Cayman. A calypso band played as we wandered across the tarmac from the plane to the terminal. I was in a good mood. The immigration queue took ages putting me in a slightly frustrated mood. Immigration officer was in training. I realised she took so long as she was flirting with the trainer. Immigration love? All was forgiven. Adrian met us and took us for lunch at Da Fish Shack on the waterfront. Gorgeous location. Gorgeous seafood. I was; however wearing clothes more appropriate for chillier climes. Spot the new arrival? We stayed at Jen and Adrian’s place in the East End. They live on John McClean Avenue. Am I in Die Hard? I went for a run in the morning along the coast. Amazing. Still got lost by missing my turn back to their house. A lovely detour but added 2km to the run. I needed a pee 4km back. It hurt a smidgen. We stayed in an apartment on 7 mile beach. T’was fantastic. It was located on Boggy Sands Road. Steven kept referring to it as Sandy Bottom road. It made me laugh. On Christmas Eve we drove into the National Park. There were a lot of potholes to avoid. I didn’t care as it was a hire car. We made it through them all to see the lush environment. A large iguana crossed the street in front of us. We passed a lady walking her parrot on a lead. Yes you read that last statement correctly. We had a BBQ on Christmas Eve. I made Egg Nog from scratch for the first time. We drank that and a lot of rum. Carole drank that plus a little gin. Ok she drank a little wine too. Christmas Day was fantastic. We had Champagne on the beach at sunrise. We swam in the sea. I ran along the beach. For a few moments there was the most splendid mix of sunshine and rain. We BBQ’d lobster for lunch. I am sure it may have cooked itself given how hot it was outside. One of our group asked me how old I thought Jesus would have been this year. Seriously? Too funny. We drove past the many Christmas lights around the island on our way home. Some would say they are tacky. I would say they are fun. On Boxing Day I randomly entered a 1.5 mile run along seven mile beach called Dashing Thru the Sand. It was tremendous. I came 7^th out of 200. The day after we went to Rum point. We drank mudslides. I felt like a pirate. I love it there. The wedding soon came around. It was beautiful. The sunshine, the dress, the vows and the speeches all moved me in their own ways. The after party back at our apartment was supreme. I was drunk. I ate a small serving of turtle that was on offer. I feel guilty to this day. I am no stranger to trying exotic foods and meats. One of my favourite dining experiences ever is when I was 16 and I was on holiday in Kenya with my family. We went to the Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi and sampled buffalo, giraffe, impala and crocodile amongst other meats but the turtle experience did feel a little more naughty somehow. Someone had to be the first to get drunk and swim in the pool in their underwear right? Of course it was me. Others followed suit though. That night I wanted to change my flight to stay longer. I couldn’t. I flew back to NYC leaving 30 degrees Centigrade and exchanged it for 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Not quite the same but NYC still holds a special place in my heart. As does Grand Cayman after that trip.  

Christmas #14 Cromlix, Perthshire (Scotland)

This year was going to be just me and Steven for Christmas. He had always wanted to go to Scotland for Christmas and so my research for a suitable place began in February. By March we were all booked for the festive three night package at Cromlix near Dunblane in Scotland. Booking a double room I received a friendly email to confirm the booking for Mr and Mrs Long. I replied to say the other occupant of the room was actually also make to which the hotel apologised and said they were looking forward to welcoming me and my brother at Christmas. I'm kidding. The first part was true but the second a fib. The hotel was very apologetic. Should have pushed for an upgrade though eh?!

It transpired that Andy Murray owned the hotel. Who knew he was into hospitality as well as tennis?

We arrived in Scotland and drove to the hotel stopping by The Kelpies. Impressive sculptures if a little random to be next to the motorway in Perthshire.

Arriving at the hotel was amazing. A mile long drive through the woods revealed the building itself which was stunning. I have never received such service from check in to check out. It was amazing. As soon as we mentioned my name the luggage was gone and off to our room. We were shown around the hotel and then taken to our room. No mention of sign here or leave a card on file for incidentals. Amazing. The highlights of the three days included:

 - Mulled wine and mince pies by the open fire in the lounge on arrival.
 - Our amazing room that included a separate dressing room (may I have that at home please?)
 - The huge bathroom complete with heated floor and amazing standalone bath.
 - Enjoying morning runs to the village of Kinbuck and back before breakfast.
 - All the meals we had. Michel Roux is a food genius.
 - Evening cocktails in the lounge (in particular the Old Fashioned) before dinner.
 - The carol concert in the chapel on Christmas Eve.
 - Beating Steven at Monopoly on Christmas Day!
 - The open plan kitchen in the dining room.
 - The Christmas jingle that went off on the oven when things were ready.
 - Venison on Christmas Day.
 - Playing snooker in the billiard room on Christmas Day (we didn't keep score on that one).
 - Clay pigeon shooting on Boxing Day morning.
 - Our Boxing Day walk to the Loch. A stunning blue sky made for amazing photos and views.
 - Falconry display on the lawn on Boxing Day. Birds of prey are quick movers you know.
 - Eating partridge (not directly after the shooting or bird display).
 - Making new friends (Nick and Julie from Lancashire & Geri and Niel from Sydney).
 - Meeting Scune (Nick and Julie's uber cute dog).
 - Dunblane Cathedral.

Overall; it was one of the best trips of my life. I loved it and one day I hope to be back at Cromlix whether it be fore Winter or Summer.

P.S. Jamie Murray was actually sat in front of us on the plane from London to Edinburgh on our way up there and was picked up at the airport by none other than his Mum Judy! We almost offered them a lift to the hotel.

P.P.S. On Christmas morning "Santa" had left us a couple of presents on our bed. As Steven went to open one I joked it would be Judy Murray's autobiography. It actually was. We LOL'd. We weren't quick enough to ask her to sign it when she passed through the hotel on Christmas Day. Oh well, next time!

#Christmas markets

These are now a “thing” in every town and city you go to the World over. However; they have been a part of my Christmas build up since I was pretty young. Living in Belgium allowed us access to the German Christmas markets pretty easily. On the continent they celebrate St Nicolas on the 6^th December which is when Santa visits.  As a family we had visited the markets in Cologne when I was 12 over the feast of St Nicolas. It was my first time to see the markets. Eat lots of gingerbread. Get a stocking from St Nicolas (courtesy of the hotel leaving it on every guests door handle.) Try Gluwein (a non-alcoholic version at least.) It was fun and now something I do each year. I have some other favourite places to visit similar markets. London’s South Bank. A beautiful setting and not too big. Vienna. The ones at Schonbrunn Palace, the town hall and next to St Stephen’s Cathedral make wonderful photo opportunities as well as the chance to reach your weekly calorie allowance in the space of an hour. Cheese pretzels. Cakes. Chocolate. Amaretto hot chocolate. Goulash served in a rather large bun. All within fantastic settings and one of my favourite festive days to date. As a nice addition it offered the chance to see the equestrian version of ballet in the form of the Spanish Riding school. Superb. Dusseldorf. Nice stalls. Ice skating to watch or partake in. Alcohol. Who knew that the city went off like that on a Saturday night. Excellent people watching opportunities.