Tryphoon’s Lair

So it is that time of the year again and despite several differences with Europe (the major one being the weather), we are currently getting ready to celebrate Christmas…

Before the girls came back from London, I realized that most of the houses in our community were decorated both inside and outside. Trees were lit, reindeers made of light seemed to visit gardens as soon as the night was there and there was definitively a festive feeling floating in the air.

So last weekend, we took on to decorate the house and bought our Xmas tree… And what a tree! Our house, being slightly larger than our former apartment in London, we had to reflect the changes in the size of the beast. Actually to a point that for the first time ever, I had to climb on a chair, stand as high as I could to hang the star at the top of the tree!

Tradition was respected and Xmas music was played while we were all busy decorating the tree, mulled wine was being prepared , fireplace was lit and Thia was trying to help as much as she could. As usual, we found a place to display all the Xmas cards that we received and we even have lights on the den…

Icing on the cake: That night, we were invited to our first street party where all neighbors were invited and all brought a little something to share. We actually went full British and brought English mulled wine (spiced wine) and English minced pies. Evening was fun. Kids were running around (Thia had a blast playing with the “old” kids from the street).

And today is Xmas Eve… We are getting ready for the big night and have managed to keep Thia’s to a rational level, Sarah has been shopping like mad for both the French style evening dinner and the English style lunch tomorrow, our guest room is filled with wrapped presents and Santa’s brandy will is waiting on the table, with brandy and minced pies for him and peanuts for the reindeers, even if Thia tried hard to have a taste of them…

So to all of you, from us on this side on the world, we wish you a merry Christmas!

PS: On the Thia side, I must admit as well that I played a bad trick to her last night, when she was refusing to go to bed, screaming and kicking… “Santa” “suddenly” decided to call me on my cell phone and tell me that he was almost ready to leave the North Pole and thought he should not stop by our house as our baby girl wasn’t going to bed on her own… Well, 30 seconds later, we were kindly asked to switch the light off and leave her bedroom!

PPS: It is now 7PM and Xmas is upon us.  Adding to the warm feeling of the neighborhood, our next door neighbors paid us a quick visit to offer us a little box of cookies and wish us a merry Xmas…