Back at work. We had a white Christmas in Blackpool. Big flaky lumps of snow fell during dinner at Darrens parents. Very pwitty. The snow storm raged on into the evening and sensible driving made us late returning to our house for the Christmas day episode of Coronation Street (caught most of it though, what a corker!). It rarely snows in Blackpool (or even gets down to zero) and hasn’t done so for nine years (“I was pregnant with Chantelle that winter so that’s how I remember” – next-door neighbour). It was all gone by Boxing Day so weather related fuss was minimal.

We watched telly, ate far too much, took bracing walks on the prom, watched telly, entertained my Mum and Dad, ate some more, watched telly, got electrocuted, fell asleep during the ‘must-see’telly, opened gifts, applied lotions and potions and scents, visited loved ones in hospital, watched telly, failed to spend Christmas money in the sales so ate the telly and watched some food. We had fun and even enjoyed the crappier bits because of those “we don’t know how lucky we are” moments (caused by the terrible news from the Indian Ocean).