Our Christmas Day Diary 2006

9.00am

We begin the day with our usual Christmas Day breakfast of smoked salmon, toasted bagels and Buck's Fizz for Joe and me. Calum and Lola have chocolatines and fresh orange juice. It's the perfect way to start the day!

9.30am

Present Opening. Once again. Santa has been very generous! The children are delighted with everything and so are Joe and I.

11.15am

Finally finish opening all the presents. Dash upstairs to get ready before our neighbours and close friends Ken and Shirley arrive for Christmas drinks.

12.00pm

Champagne with Ken and Shirley. The conversation flows and so does the champagne!

2.00pm

Stop to pose for a photo with Joe (at the children's request) before starting preparations for Christmas dinner. I'm wearing the beautiful blouse Joe bought me for Christmas. We've decided to eat late as we're still full from breakfast.

4.30pm

Christmas dinner in the dining room which looks very pretty with all the Christmas lights and candles. We have the full works. Eat so much food we feel our stomachs will explode, but that doesn't stop us.

Thank goodness it's only once a year!

5.00pm

Pull crackers and put on our party hats. Lola enjoys blowing bubbles at the table!

7.00pm

Dishwasher loaded and everything put away.

Crash onto the sofa to watch Love Actually, one of our favourite Christmas films. As usual I cry, even though I've seen it several times before.

9.30pm

Watch Little Britain Abroad, but none of us find it that funny - just the same old jokes re-hashed. Still, there are a couple of laughs.

10.30pm

Slope off to bed, feeling full and tired but also very happy.

It's been the first Christmas Day on our own as a family since the children were born and we all agree it's been a huge success.

Looking forward to a long lie-in on Boxing Day!

Views of London at Christmas

'Oxo' Tin Christmas Tree Display at Camden Passage Antiques Market

Covent Garden Market

'The Angel' at Islington

Christmas Lights in Covent Garden

Santa's Grotto in Covent Garden

Goodbye David

Out of the Blue
Two weeks ago today my cousin David died out of the blue from a massive heart attack. He was eight days' older than me.

When something tragic like that happens it really makes you think.

So, instead of spending the Friday before Christmas getting ready for all the festivities, I found myself in a bleak crematorium on the outskirts of Northampton, surrounded by grieving friends and family.

Lost in Fog
There was thick, inpenetrable fog that day in which we all got lost and nearly didn't make it. Luckily, I'd allowed an extra hour, or we'd never have got there in time.

A wrong turn followed by a heated argument in the car found us stuck in horrendous traffic in Northampton town centre which seemed to crawl one car at a time. All you could do was sit there. You could almost hear the ticking of the clock. As the minutes ebbed away, so our tempers became more frayed.

Grief makes you very raw.

The gloomy weather reflected everyone's mood. We were all bracing ourselves for what we knew would be a heartbreaking event - and it was.

'My Best Friend'
I'd never met David's best friend, Keith, but I did at the funeral. He choked his way through a moving and at times amusing recollection of their lifelong friendship, one that had taken them from Primary School through to the day David died.

At times Keith became too choked to speak and the tears welled up in his eyes but he said he 'didn't want to let David down' - and he didn't.

I have been to funerals where you come away feeling that the whole thing was impersonal and detached but Keith's speech made us feel that David was there with us. Most of all, it was obvious how much he was loved, not just by Keith but by his whole family and especially his wife Emma and step-daughter, Zoe, from whom he'd been so cruelly snatched away.

Emma was inconsolable and I will never forget the sound of her sobs as the curtains finally closed around the coffin.

Most of all, I felt for my Aunt Gwen.

As a mother, I can imagine nothing worse than losing a child and she'd lost her only child. She didn't need to say how she was feeling. The look of loss and despair on her face said it all.

A Close Bond
She and David were very close, especially as his Dad had also died at a very early age, leaving the two of them together to rebuild their lives. I always admired the way David took care of his Mum and we were all delighted when we heard that he was getting married as we'd almost given up on him!

It just goes to show that love can come at any time - even if it's later than you expect.

A Strong Woman
Gwen is very strong and a has a close relationship with her brother and sister who will undoubtedly support her, but this is not something you ever recover from. You simply learn to live with it.

You expect to lose a parent but not your child.

'I Will Always Love You'
When Calum was little he was madly in love with Whitney Houston and every time this song came on, he would stand transfixed, listening to her beautiful soaring voice.

This was the song Emma chose for David and the words say it all. In the stillness of the chapel, the music was crystal clear and achingly sad.

it will never sound the same to me again.

Goodbye David
David and I didn't see that much of each other in recent years, except at family gatherings, but I have many fond memories of our growing up together as part of a big and loving family.

Goodbye David. I will never forget you and I will always be glad you were my cousin.

Christmas Starts Here

Me and our good friend Franco
The Christmas table
Our Christmas tree

Lunch with Franco

Today we had Christmas lunch with our good friend Franco. We've been doing it for several years now so it's become a family tradition. We always feel that when Franco comes to visit, our Christmas really begins.

As always, we started the proceedings with champagne - my favourite tipple! Franco brought a really special bottle which we managed to polish off very quickly.

Although it meant slaving over a hot oven all morning, the effort was definitely worth it as Franco appreciated everything. The food was delicious and there were clean plates all round.

It was a good trial run for Christmas day when we'll have our first Christmas together at home on our own as a family since the children were born - that's 16 years!

Our dining room is decorated in red and gold and at Christmas it really comes into its own. I love to have lots of candles and twinkling fairy lights to create a really festive atmosphere.

It was so good to see Franco and to catch up with all his news. We don't see each other nearly often enough, but when we do get together it's always wonderful.

And today was a wonderful day.