CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR DIARY
It’s been a relatively quiet Christmas for us this year, less partying with friends and more time with Emma’s family than ever before.
Toby had travelled back from Melbourne, Australia with Mia. Ben rocked up from his university base in Cornwall, and Hannah (now living with my sister) came down from Manchester. The result? A very full house!
We were keen to make sure the triplets spent as much time together as possible. Who knows when they’ll all be in the same place again, especially over the Christmas period.
Some moments you can reasonably predict might be the “last”, and this felt like one of those. Not that Hannah would see it that way, she spent most of the time winding her brothers up – and vice versa I should add. It’s truly like mixing oil and water…
It’ll probably take a few more decades before the three of them realise just how precious moments like this are, especially when you’re lucky enough to share them with a 90-year-old grandma too.
My own immediate family were scattered far and wide this year: Lauren in France, Sarah in London, my sister in Spain, and Nathaniel, who knows… last seen in a club in Southampton.
Next year should be different though. I’ve already put a placeholder in the diary to get my kids and hopefully wider family together with Emma over Christmas for the first time in a few years. It was 2019 when I last managed to get my kids under the same roof at Christmas. Best I get planning now.
NIGHT OUT IN LONDON
Ahead of the main festivities, we had a lovely night out in London, wandering the streets, admiring the lights and soaking up the festive atmosphere.
Emma’s brother Jonathan kindly organised some shuffleboard in a pub south of Bloomsbury, so off we went with his wife Lorrayne and daughter Sophie.
It turned into a fun afternoon and evening. We visited a few pubs along the way and ended with something to eat to keep us upright.
THE BIG DAY…
Like the ingredients of a homemade trifle, every family does Christmas a little differently.
Here, even at 24 years of age, the triplets still receive a small stocking from Santa, mainly filled with chocolate and assorted trinkets. Santa used to leave these by their beds; these days they appear on the floor by the fireplace. Present-giving is then straddled either side of a traditional Christmas dinner.
There’s no stopping at 3pm for the King’s Speech (a tradition my parents still follow), but in most other respects things feel reassuringly familiar, including the steady drip of alcohol and some truly ridiculous overeating.
Christmas Day followed a similar pattern to last year, but this time all of Emma’s brood were here, along with Doreen, Emma’s 90-year-old mum, and Jonathan’s family, who travelled up from Southampton.
The day ended as these things often do: silly party games, followed by people nodding off one by one.
Dinner at Doreen’s
The day after Boxing Day was spent at Emma’s mum’s place, who, even at 90, insisted on preparing a meal. Not that any of us needed feeding again…
EVEN MORE CALORIES…
The day after, my daughter Sarah and Alex booked a table at The Barley Mow, a lovely little restaurant in Englefield Green near Egham, almost exactly halfway between our respective homes.
It was great to catch up and hear all about her new job and future plans. By sheer coincidence, we were a literal two-minute walk from Helen, one of Emma’s school friends from way back. She joined us for coffee afterwards, where we were promptly mauled by her ferocious new guard dog…
MIRACLE CORNER…
We spent a few hours at a games hall just off Oxford Street called Market Halls, where we were treated to no fewer than three miracles:
Miracle 1 – Emma hit a bullseye.
Miracle 2 – Hannah won the game, despite throwing darts with her eyes shut, and flinging them so fast.
Miracle 3 – the triplets saw where they were “made”, even meeting the doctor who presided over the test-tube experiment at the ARGC on Upper Wimpole Street. A miracle indeed, because aside from the obvious (this style of IVF treatment was in its infancy), I’ve no idea how they’ve survived 24 years of constant fighting.
Mia and I escaped this reunion with the mad professor in his science block by popping into a pub just around the corner called Inn 1888, where we sank a beer or two before the arrival of the Frankenstein twins and their sister.
BACK TO SOUTHAMPTON
As New Year approached, some peace and tranquillity was sought in Southampton.
Turning into my road, we were greeted by multiple houses glowing with Christmas lights. Time to light the fire, sit back, and relax with a glass of wine.
Unfortunately, my house had no heating or hot water thanks to a few issues with broken valves and pumps, but somehow, that didn’t really matter.
NEW YEAR’S EVE AND NEW YEAR’S DAY
We popped over to my parents’ place to welcome in the New Year after spending the afternoon at my place with Natty, catching up on his life with Marnie, his new job and continuing studies.
My mum and dad decided against going to a local pub, or the sailing club at Mudeford, instead we chatted, ate more and polished off too much wine – washed down with Champagne at midnight.
New Year’s Day and we brushed the cobwebs away with a walk along the cliffs at Barton on Sea.
After their trip back from the Alps via Paris, Loz and Andy were due to pass junction 6 of the M25 at around 6pm – so we hightailed it back to Emma’s to catch them as they passed en-route to Bristol. The plan paid off and they popped in for a bite to eat and leg stretch. They got to see Mia and Toby too, who they last met in Melbourne while on a trip to Australia only a few months ago.
A lovely, unexpected book-end to the festive period.
So we managed a double hat-trick, Emma’s three followed by my three. Mine being a bit trickier to arrange, requiring some good fortune and luck with timing.
Return to Australia
We had a final meal with Toby and Mia in an Italian restaurant in Purley before they headed back to Melbourne on a series of long haul flights starting at T4 Heathrow. Hannah left for Manchester yesterday and Ben will be going back to Falmouth in a few days time.
It’s the third time Mia has been to Europe in the past 12 months and second time for Toby.
The world is becoming smaller by the year.
LOOKING AHEAD
As festive periods go, it was quieter than some, louder than others, and full in the ways that matter. A reminder that Christmas doesn’t need to be perfect, just shared and with family.
If nothing else, it reinforced how fleeting these moments are, how rarely everyone is in the same place at the same time, and how important it is to make the effort while you still can.
Snow on the ground, a new year ahead, and a travel diary already filling up – not a bad place to start.
