Merry Christmas to all

The past few days have been nothing if not interesting. As noted earlier, we went out on Christmas Eve to the Nutcracker held at the London Coliseum. The Coliseum is very neat-looking, decorated in a baroque style. We were only able to get one picture of the venue, as the attendants were quite militant about people taking pictures. I would have understood had we been taking pictures of the set, but nonetheless, you can find additional pictures here. Of course, Maggie wore her Christmas dress, and after much putting about, we finally found something that Dalton could wear. Most of his dress pants were too short and had turned into flood pants sometime during the past year, so he ended up wearing his school trousers. The Nutcracker itself was a bit more modernised than I would have preferred, although it was really only the first half that received the "modern" treatment. The second half was much more traditional and, in my opinion, much more enjoyable. I think if you go here you can find a short video clip of different bits of the show, as well as some clips of other shows. The dancing was quite good, as might be expected.


Afterwards, we rushed back for the candlelight service at St. Katharine's in Merstham. You can find some pictures of St. Katharine's here, but we've posted some pictures previously. The current building dates from around 1220. We made it just after the first song had finished, so got to attend the majority of the service, which was in the manner of a traditional "Lessons and Carols" service. And, after that, it was back home for dinner, some Christmas music, and then finally putting the children to bed.

Christmas morning played out here much the same as I imagine it does in households across America. Dalton was up who knows how many times during the night before finally waking us at around seven to go downstairs and see what was under the tree. Of course, upon getting downstairs, the next several minutes were filled with, "Look, Mommy! I got a ....", or "Wow! A ....!" and the sounds of ripping paper. Dalton got a couple of Lego sets, including a Bionicle, some cards, and of course, the requisite chocolate stocking stuffers, while Maggie got lots of Polly Pocket stuff, a princess dress, and some other girly things.

The most of the rest of the day was spent in playing with the new toys and preparing Christmas lunch (Mich successfully cooked her first turkey - although I can't say that I did as well with the carving), although we did stop to watch the Queen's address at around three, and tried to force the kids to go rest for a bit, although unsuccessfully. That evening, we had an invite to a friends for their family Christmas gathering, so we headed over around seven. It was very nice, and I have to say that I am very grateful for being invited. It made it feel a little more like home on a day that could have otherwise felt very lonely. One of the biggest surprises though was that Santa actually came around to visit - and brought presents for us all, Dalton, Maggie, Mich and myself included. The look in Maggie's eyes was priceless. And that wraps up our Christmas tale for this year. Until next year, Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night.

'Twas the night before Christmas

For anyone who has been wondering what we've been up to for the past couple of weeks, I apologise. The weeks and weekends have been hectic, and by the time I've gotten home I've had little energy to post. I'm going to try to recap the best that I can, but I may miss a few things. Since I last posted on the 10th, there's a lot of ground to cover...

That Sunday, we made it into church in the morning, and putted around London the rest of the day, going to Covent Garden, where we ate at Bistro, then visiting Harrod's and picking out some Christmas ornaments - one of the good things about the credit crunch is that everyone is already putting everything on sale, and we got ornaments from Harrod's for half price. We also got Dalton and Maggie the Harrod's Christmas bears, since they were on sale as well. After Harrod's, we headed back to Trafalgar Square to wait for the carolers. While we were waiting, I got some mince pies and mulled wine for Mich and myself, and a brownie for the kids. Regrettably, the carolers didn't show up on time, and it started raining, so we headed home without seeing the carolers in the square.

The following week was extremely hectic for me - I didn't make it home at a decent hour all week. So, not a whole lot to report there. On Friday, though, Mich and the kids came up to meet me in London so we could finally see the carolers in Trafalgar. We watched them sing for a bit, then headed up towards Piccadilly and wandered down Regent Street to Carnaby for the Christmas lights, before returning to Trafalgar for a few more pictures and carols.

Saturday was the big ice skating day - this year we went to the rink at the Tower of London. We were a little intrepidated at first, since when we got there, the rink had already partially turned into a giant puddle of water (it was around 50F on Saturday, although, to be fair, that was probably the first time in about a month that it was that warm). Somehow we managed to remain mostly dry - Mich, Maggie and I didn't fall down at all, and Dalton only fell down three times, but he also went around the rink thirteen times, and was out there for the majority of the hour that we were allowed to skate. We went to eat at the Shad Thames Pizza Express - the Shad Thames being a small alley/street on the south side of Tower Bridge that has a somewhat medieval feel to it - cobblestones, tall overhanging buildings, and the like.

And then, Sunday we went in to church for the carol service, followed by a visit to the Museum of London - which I found mostly interesting for the bits about the great fire of 1666, although it also had some stuff about the Black Death, which apparently freaked Maggie out. After that, we went to the "Christmas Meditation" at Westminster Abbey. I enjoyed the Abbey, but.... I suppose that I anticipated a "Christmas Meditation" being somewhat Christmas-y. While there were some Christmas readings, the music was stuff that was on a par with John Cage. If we hadn't been sitting on the front row, (and Maggie hadn't fallen asleep) we would have walked out. Several people did. Michelle and I were kicking ourselves for not going with the traditional "Lessons and Carols" service at St. Margaret's (right next to Westminster). Still, we did actually make it into Westminster, so I guess that counts for something.

Today, we're going in to see the Nutcracker, hopefully followed by a candlelight service at the little church up the road. And then, to put the children to bed, so that visions of sugar plums can dance in their head...

Deck the Halls

Once again, I feel I must apologise for the radio silence. With December came a rush of busyness for me at work, such that it was Thursday of this past week before I got to see the kids off to bed. Such is the life of an accountant, I suppose.

We did finally manage to put up the tree this past weekend, replete with our Christmas ornaments that we bought here last year, although Michelle has already informed me that we need to go to Harrod's to pick out an ornament for this year, and I imagine that I'll probably let the kids pick out their own ornaments as well as long-term mementoes. I also wouldn't mind dropping by Covent Garden again to see if we can find the Christmas shop that was there last year. Decorating the tree is kind of one of those traditions, where we get heavy hors d'oeuvres and play Christmas music and decorate the tree. It's something that I've been doing since I was a kid - first at my grandmother's house, then at my parents, and now at my own. It goes along with going to a Christmas Eve service. We're not entirely sure if we'll be able to make it to a Christmas Eve service this year, but we're going to give it a shot. We are also trying to slot in services at St. Paul's and Westminster, but we'll just have to see how it goes.

We've also got to make it in to see the lights, and to see the tree that is now up in Trafalgar Square. Regrettably, work has been so busy lately that I haven't even had the chance to go by Trafalgar to see the tree. Maybe this weekend. I do promise to try and get some pictures of the lights and such for posting.

After putting up the tree, we had a couple from London Pres out for dinner on Saturday, and it was good to sit and talk, and watch their daughter play with Maggie. I also listened to the SEC Championship game, and for those of you who are interested - you cannot watch online internationally. I was pretty sure that was the case, since I had tried before, but it was confirmed on Saturday, but I did get to listen, and despite the outcome, it was a good game. Sunday was Dalton's day to go to a service for his scout troop, and that wrapped up our weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving

For a second year, we celebrated Thanksgiving away from family and friends, which makes for an interesting Thanksgiving indeed. I think that would be hard at any time, but it's even harder when the world around you doesn't even recognise Thanksgiving as a holiday - making it just another day. We did still do the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, replete with turkey, dressing, green beans, potatoes, and apple pie with ice cream. (Although we did add some Yorkshire puddings to our dinner, which was a good addition to the meal.) It's just a little odd when you go to work for the day, and then come home for dinner, and then go back to work the following day - it makes it seem not quite like Thanksgiving, if you get my drift. I will say that it wasn't quite as painful this year as it was the last. I guess having experienced it once, we more or less knew what to anticipate this year.


In other news, I did finally pay out for a subscription which allows me to listen to Alabama football over the internet (a whopping $5 for the Auburn and Florida games, so I figure it's worth it), and I stayed up until midnight last night listening to the Iron Bowl. So, two words I've been waiting to say - "Roll Tide" - and that's all I'll say. Regrettably, I also somehow regressed during the past few days, and am running feverish again, as I seem to be fighting the world's longest running illness.


Now that Thanksgiving has passed, I can officially allow myself to think about Christmas. That's my personal rule - no Christmas songs, decorations or celebrating until after Thanksgiving. So we did head into London yesterday for some last Christmas shopping, and I think we've got most of it done now, although I am personally looking forward to heading back out to the markets for some more wandering, hopefully some mulled wine, and further shopping later this month. We do have our ice skating lined up, as well as tickets to "The Nutcracker" by the English National Ballet. We've got to work out when we're going to the choral service - and quite frankly, I might just try to go to a couple. And then, of course, there's the Christmas lights to go and see - so plenty to look forward to in the coming month. Until then...

The Whirlwind that was Christmas and New Years

We find ourselves safe and sound back in London, and I am already looking forward to sleeping in this weekend. If it weren't for telecommuting, I'd really be in trouble. We arrived around 8:30 local time yesterday morning and somehow managed to get our bags stuffed into a taxi and headed home. The day was rather lazy - we unpacked most of the bags, although we haven't exactly put everything away yet. Mich and Maggie took a three hour nap, while Dalton and I vegged - me with a book, Dalton with the Gameboy (both a blessing and a curse). The kids were in bed at 8, with Mich and I going down before 9. I woke up first this morning... at 9:30. So, we were clearly tired.

I don't want to recap everything that's gone on the past week or so, but overall it was enjoyable, and very tiring. I am sure there are those who think we could have and should have spent our time differently than we did. I can only apologise to anyone feeling that way. With limited time, we tried to make room for all our friends and family, and we didn't succeed - there were still those whom we failed to see at all, and those with whom our time was quite limited.

At any rate, I personally am very much a "traditionalist", and I enjoyed going to IPC for the candlelight service of nine lessons and carols on Christmas Eve. We've been going there as a family for some twenty-odd years now, and I still cherish it as a valuable part of my Christmas. The family has greatly expanded from when we first started going back then and we needed basically two whole pews to accommodate us this year.

Dalton and Maggie really enjoyed seeing their stateside friends, and Dalton says "Cully-cun-moo" to his craziest friend ever. Maggie gives hugs to all.

New Year's Eve was an interesting one to say the least. To be honest, Mich and I haven't had a significant New Year's Eve in several years. There was the year we went to a New Years party, and we sat around talking with friends until around 2 in the morning - but nobody realised that New Years had come until 12:30. Recently, with kids, we'll have heavy hors d'oeuvres in the evening, manage to stay up until midnight, and then go to bed. This year, we got to blow kisses to each other from across the plane.

I haven't gotten around to making my New Year's resolutions yet, at least partly due to the hectic pace of the last few weeks. I actually do make resolutions, although, like most, I don't always succeed in keeping them. However, I do like to sit and think about them, and use the resolution process as a way to reflect on the year past and perform a "self-assessment" as it were. I am thinking about resolving to post more often - although I hesitate to do so, as some of you out there might hold me accountable to that.

Christingles and the week that was

So, continuing on...

This past Sunday, we were invited to go to a church in Reigate, as Dalton was taking part in a Christmas carol service in Reigate later on that day. We went that morning to the Reigate Methodist Church (built in 1884), and went to the Christingle service that night. What, you may ask, is a Christingle? Then again, you may not ask that, but for those of you who are curious, click here to discover the secrets of Christingles. The service was basically a Christmas service, with carols and songs, and a brief sermon on the heart of Christmas.

The week itself passed without too much excitement. Work continues to be on the heavier side for me, which isn't all bad. Michelle did lock her keys inside the house on Tuesday, which meant that I had to come home early to let her in. And on that night, we put up our Christmas tree, the first non-live tree that I've had, ever, I think. I definitely don't remember ever having anything other than a real tree before. We still did our normal decoration thing - heavy hors d'oeuvres and Christmas music. The kids had a blast.

Saturday was Maggie's ballet exam, so she went in and took her test. We don't know what she did, exactly, but the examination proctor said that she would never forget Maggie as long as she lived. I'm hoping that's a good thing.

And yesterday (Sunday) Maggie and Dalton played the parts of two of the three kings in the church play. That was fun to watch, and I think they enjoyed it as well. Dalton didn't want to take his crown off for the entire service.

All in all, excitement is mounting as we approach Christmas and our trip home. We miss everyone and hope to see you soon!!

Cousins & Christmas Lights

My cousin Emily arrived in town this week, and we met up on Thursday night for a bit. It was really good to see her - we figured out that it had probably been about five years since the last time we saw each other. It is really scary how time flies. Maggie took to Emily as only Maggie can do. Dalton kept telling me that Emily wasn't his cousin, she was my cousin. I had to tell him several times that all my cousins are his cousins too.

So, we had a really good time (or at least, I thought so - Emily may have thought otherwise). We met up by the Tate Modern, and I took a picture of Shibboleth - which is the name of the crack which was installed in the floor as one of the exhibitions there. I'm not exactly sure how you install a crack, but that's what they did. I've been there before, and there was no crack, and now there is. If you want to read more about it, click here.

Anyway, we strolled down by the river to Charing Cross and ate at Zizzi on the Strand. Michelle and I had eaten at a Zizzi before by Hampton Court, but hadn't realised it was a chain. Still quite good.

Afterwards, we headed up to Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and then down Regent's Street looking at Christmas lights. (I am learning my way around London fairly well now.) The lights there are pretty neat, and looking at Christmas lights has become one of my favorite things to do around Christmas time. I have Michelle to thank for that. We also wandered down Carnaby Street (pictures will be forthcoming) to look at some more lights. I must admit that there is something magical about London after dark. The city seems to transform itself, and even though it has a certain "something" about it during the daytime, at night, it just transforms itself into something new, where even though you've seen something a hundred times, it looks new and wonderful.

By the time we got through with Carnaby Street, the kids were exhausted, so we got on the Tube and headed back home, saying goodbye on the Tube.

Friday, of course, was a regular day for all of us, even though we were out late the night before.

Today was pretty neat though. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I had to go bag groceries today to help raise funds for Dalton's Beaver Scout troop. We were bagging at the Morrison's in Reigate, which is about 2 - 3 miles from Merstham. Thanks to the fact that we don't have a car, I haven't been there but once or twice, and one of those was when I was looking for a place to stay. After bagging duty was done, one of our neighbors generously offered to take our kids home while Michelle and I investigated Reigate. We walked up and down the high street, and I bought some roasted chestnuts (although they were technically "grilled", not roasted over an open fire) and we also bought some Starbucks Christmas coffee - another Christmas tradition. Originally, we bought Barnie's White Christmas, but it lost it's touch several years back. Still, the Christmas coffee tradition is a long-standing one in the Johnson house. We also got to hear two carolling groups as we walked about, which was pretty cool. To top it off, I came home and had a mince pie. I guess you can't have a much more traditional start to Christmas than that.