And the award goes to...

I thought I should mention the things that were good and nice about Christmas this year. So the shining stars of Christmas are:

• My cousin Simon, who invited us over on Christmas Eve even though he was getting married three days later.
• Joan's niece Suzanne, who had us over the night of Christmas for a light dinner
• Joan's sister Mary, and her husband Steve, who had us over for a wonderful dinner on Boxing Day, and who gave Milo three books that he just loves
• My cousing Robert and his wife Jo, who gave Milo his only toy of Christmas
• My Auntie Diana, who invited the family over for lunch the day after Simon's wedding, and who gave Milo a book for Christmas
• Our family friends Peter and Judy, who invited us to stay at their home in Wales for a night, even though Judy just had her hip replaced, and who shared their good Scotch with Jorge
• Our friend Sarah and her husband Matt, who put us up for 6 days in Huddersfield - it's not easy having two Americans, a Colombian, and a baby as houseguests, and they were very generous, kind hosts
• My sister Miriam, who can make anything fun. The best thing about Christmas this year, by far, was getting to spend it with her.