There’ll never be another Christmas like it! Because although Christmas does come once a year, Baby’s first Christmas comes once and once only, and we’ve been very privileged to have been part of it. Thanks to Sean, Rachel, Megan and Becky for travelling all this way to be with us – we think it wasn’t easy!

What follows is a few (?!) of the photos taken by anyone with a camera, accompanied by, I hope, the briefest of comments – if I can stop myself ‘going on’! (and on …)

First meal together, and a new game is invented; Grandad and Shannon play ‘Boum! Boum!’ Everybody gets the giggles!

The game involves taking the wrapper from the baguette, making a ‘truncheon’ of it and batting the side of the high chair with it saying “Boum! Boum!”. And if once or twice Baby’s head or cheek, got in the way, well, ….

We played it many times, in fact a wrapper had to be preserved for the purpose, and it always got a smile and frequently a laugh.

The SKT tradition of the Christmas Eve pancake-fest at tea time was respected and seemed to be well received. No-one photoed it, though. I suppose they were too busy eating and I was too busy tossing ……

In France le Père Noël looks for slippers under the Christmas tree; we compromised with a couple of slipper-socks, but they worked!

Contrary to every forecast we had seen, Christmas day was sunny and warm. Some spent much of the morning on the terrace, where we also enjoyed the pre-lunch blanquette / apéro.As for Christmas lunch, I’ve never been better pleased with my efforts at turkey roasting. Using a French recipe which I’ve had for years but never used before, with chestnut stuffing (French) one end and sage and onion (English) the other, slow roasted on the rack over a good quantity of stock and well basted with butter, it came out looking good, and was moist and easy to carve:

Carol’s Christmas pudding got flambé-d, of course:

Presents were exchanged after lunch, and as anyone with experience would expect, Shannon’s interest was greater in crinkly wrappings than in the content of parcels. What we didn’t anticipate was that an empty green cracker would become a favourite for the rest of the week! Ignoring a whole chain of teething rings, she kept licking it! Well, no harm in an early start in eating your greens …

Christmas Day tea was fairly traditional (English) with cake and candlelight. Rachel took some lovely pictures:

Megan and Becky, Sean’s older daughters, are both very good at entertaining Baby when needed:

Boxing Day brought the expected rain, but we ventured forth to see Carcassonne:

OK, bin there, done that. Did anyone buy a T-shirt?

We’d been watching the weather situation very carefully in order to try to choose the best day to visit Andorra. We did well. Fresh snow had fallen up there while it was raining here and in Carcassonne, but Friday was superbly blue and sunny. Rachel chose to stay at ‘home’ with baby, which was disappointing but probably sensible.

The rest of us piled into the big, black hired car – yes, GPT & Family, the same one you had! – and climbed up to the big snow:

The ski slopes were very busy

and after lunch – and the first bit of shopping – we found a lay-by where some silly play was possible:

Then, drive on for a cable car ride:

and at the top, where in summer there’s a golf course and mountain biking, skiing and snow boarding were in progress, although it was late in the day now:

In the last of the daylight, another shop-stop:

Mean while, back at the ranch, Rachel took Shannon in the buggy down to the river:Compare and contrast the next photo with the first one in the last posting – taken from the same spot!

Saturday was wet n orrible, but no matter; we had boyle deggs for breakfast – from our hens (sorry! Nick and Carolyn’s hens) – croque-monsieur for lunch and parmentier de dinde (left-over turkey made into a cottage pie  – turkey farmers pie? Matthews’Pie? – bootiful!) for dinner. We even introduced the family to Cluedo – to help the Coyles unwind ….. No photo.

And so to Carcassonne airport on Sunday (in two cars), where we had lunch in the restaurant, and thanks to a friendly waiter who is good at this, we have an excellent photo of (nearly) all of us:

He did take another with Baby in, but it’s not such a good photo, and anyway, Shannon’s asleep; so here’s a Festive Farewell from  a wide-awake Christmas Baby:

and Bye-Bye from Baby in a big hat:

And an Au Revoir from Shannon:

And its “Boum! Boum!” from her:

And it’s “Boum! Boum!” from me – Boum! Boum!