Christmas is over for another year.

The best thing about Christmas Day this year was that it was the coldest Christmas Day on record in Melbourne. That might sound strange for those in the northern hemisphere who probably dread the weather at this time of the year, but for us it was wonderful. We had rain and even snow in the Alps, which helped to drench the terrible bushfires around our State. The firefighters were able to go home and spend Christmas Day with their families. Mind you, we are not 100% safe yet - some of those fires will smoulder for weeks, even months, and with the summer only just started, there will no doubt be more extreme weather and the ever constant threat of fire. But for now, there has been welcome relief.

Our own Christmas Day was better than I expected. Ken and I have come to dread the family get-to-gether; it always seems to be fraught with stress and underlying tensions, but yesterday was different. Maybe because it was the first time another member of the family hosted it - change of venue can make a difference! Ken's Mum coped very well considering how ill she has been in the past few months, so that helped make the day happier for all of us.

My friends and family have been very generous again this year. Ken gave me a chocolate house again (third year running - is this going to be a tradition? I hope so!!), a Black Cat calendar and an Elvis DVD. My other gifts included more chocolates, cakes, biscuits, a silk scarf from England, some embroidered items, socks, books, drink coasters, diaries, the cutest keycase and matching cellphone pouch with kitties on them! and from a very special friend, an antique petit point jewellery box with a lovely pendant.

Thank you to those who commented on the previous post about our Walk Through Bethlehem. I have replied to you all personally.
To everyone who reads this blog, my best wishes to you and yours for 2007. Thank you for visiting me in 2006, and I look forward to continuing our cyberspace friendships in the coming year!