Only 355 days until next Christmas

Huw Williams | 21:03, Saturday 5 January 2013 | Turin, Italy

And so we rush headlong into 2013. Christmas seemed to come and go with unusual haste this year, all in a special coffee-drinking blur of new books and music and reminders of the delights of panettone, and socks and wonderful Torino chocolate. We all picked up colds on Boxing Day which seem to be far more interested in sticking around than Christmas did. Poor Kitty has a nasty little cough but she’s bearing it well (she’s obviously like her Dad in that respect, he’s never one to let a spot of man-flu get him down…) Sunday services continued around Christmas of course, and our series in Luke has moved from the birth narratives of Advent into the baptism of Jesus and beyond for the New Year.

Somewhere among all of that I feel as though we had a bit of a rest, too. Alison’s Mum has been with us for two weeks and the spotless condition of our apartment, as well as the completely empty state of the laundry and ironing baskets tell their own story of how she has been occupying herself!

I spent a staggering amount of time over Christmas dinner trying to explain to a room of mixed nationalities the phenomenon of the Christmas jumper. If I succeeded in getting the concept across, I didn’t succeed in translating the sheer delight of this particular Christmas tradition across the cultural boundaries. I think everyone else in the room was far too sensible (or stylish) to appreciate this very British way to celebrate the season.

Undaunted, and just for you, I thought you’d appreciate a picture of my two ladies in all their Christmas jumper-finery-glory.

Thank you for all your gifts, cards, emails and calls. We miss home especially at this time of year, but we appreciate your greetings and these many reminders that we are not forgotten, very much.