Dec 17
I’ve not left this little isle since February. The family since last December. 21 miles long, and a 1.75 miles wide at it’s very widest point can seem very, very small.
Yet, as I told the story the other day during the summer and into the early winter months you’d question yourself why you’d ever leave the beauty and reasonable normality of Bermuda during a global pandemic. Why throw yourself to the sharks, when we can swim with the parrot fish!
Happy Christmas to you all.
We have spent many more years on the island than off it on Christmas Day and I don’t ever remember the weather being anything but clear, sunny and relatively warm. Yet this morning the weather outside is frightful, rain is crashing against the windows and the wind is howling. So, I’ve got the wood fire going, which is of course, quite delightful.
Travelling around the U.S. at Christmas time is always fraught with obstacles, and sure enough our attempt to fly back from Atlanta via two other places, when we could have gone direct to Bermuda has failed us. Wasn’t my idea is all I’m saying. So an overnight stop in freezing cold Philadelphia at a nasty airport hotel means we won’t get home until late on Christmas Eve with hardly any food in the fridge and nothing wrapped etc..
Little old Charlton appear to have a new fan. Sky Sports today announced that three more of our games will be live on the box. The Hull home game has moved back from Saturday, December 14th to the Friday night, three days after we play Huddersfield.
Then over Christmas and New Year Sky have chosen the Derby and Swansea away games to show as well. This well and truly mucks around with Addicks plans if they were intending on going, and will I am sure damage travelling numbers which have been magnificent so far this season.
Merry Christmas to you all.
I trust you are getting stuck into some smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and climbing over wrapping paper and not reading this first thing on Christmas morning.
I’m spending Christmas at home this year, just the three of us, although I think Santa may have possibly delivered next door and the door after’s presents down our chimney as well. We could be unwrapping for a while.
Well the early flight actually. Our traditional pre-Christmas trip to Buckhead in Georgia starts today. Our 7th year in a row for festive fun.
There will be the normal afternoon tea date with Mr & Mrs Claus, that joyous fairytale is still rolling in our house thankfully, helped in no small way by our annual meet up with the Claus’. We will also do the Atlanta Botanical Garden Lights with it’s two million twinkly lights. S’mores and mulled wine will accompany us on our walk around it’s dazzling 30 acres.
I was woken by a big storm during the night, our garden furniture took a bit of a battering as the wind howled around outside, but what I was unaware of, was that Santa Claus had reappeared bringing more gifts.
“Katrien Meire has decided to stand down from her roles as CEO and Director of Charlton Athletic and will leave the club at the end of the month.” (more)
Other than being 23 degrees celsius, Christmas Eve in Bermuda mirrors Christmas in the UK for most people on the island.
Tonight we have spent some time convincing my daughter to go to bed, wrapped more presents than is necessary, ran out of tape, crammed enough food for a small African nation into the fridge, toyed with preparing the vegetables, fussed over the frozen turkey, drunk wine, ate cheese, baked cookies for Santa, left a carrot out which I must remember to bite later, convinced my chorister-other-half not to go to evening mass but instead listen to Now That’s What I Call Christmas on repeat, sat down with a box of Heroes with It’s A Wonderful Life on, cracked nuts once I found the nut cracker and not the two that sit aside our fireplace that I spent hours cleaning this morning on my daughter’s wishes so Santa wouldn’t get his bottom dirty when he came down the chimney.
All with my parents for company, which is lovely.
Get to bed early, sleep tight and a very Merry Christmas to you and your families.
We’ve been coming to Buckhead for six December’s in a row. Buckhead is an affluent area of Atlanta, which when the lights are on, is an easy direct flight from Bermuda. Probably not the first place that conjours Christmas frippery, but over the years we have found plenty of festive family fun stuff to keep us busy for a couple of days as well as providing an opportunity for some last minute shopping.
A few weeks ago we decided to forego an expensive and inevitably frenetic trip home to London and then onto the other half’s sister’s new abode in France. It was a tough decision but work was looking like I wouldn’t be able to be away for a prolonged time and the more we procrastinated, the more bloody expensive the flights got. Thus in the end we made the tough decision not to go home and see our families. We will do a big summer trip instead.
Then we were left with the choice of staying in Bermuda, which would have been fine if a little toasty, 23c on Christmas Day, or making a short trip somewhere else.
Those that read me religiously (thanks Mum) will know we have spent many a weekend in Buckhead over the years, a nice little area north of Atlanta in Georgia. We looked at flights, they were a good price, booked the hotel we always stay at, which is always very Chrismassy (photo), and we flew in last night. And head back to Bermuda on Tuesday.
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As expected my body forced me awake early this morning, but it was nice to be back in my own Bermuda bed after a great Christmas at home with our families.
However the imperturbable other half will tell you, my disposition driving anti-clockwise around the M25 from Heathrow to pick my son up on the day we arrived was not particularly festive. Anyway a better journey under the now toll-less Dartford Tunnel to an old mate’s house in St Albans to be met with chili and lot’s of red wine did the trick, and despite a hangover the drive to Oxfordshire on Christmas Eve via Henley had me ready for Santa.
I was on the nice list, which was a pleasant surprise, as was my daughter, which was less of a surprise, and my other half’s family were in great spirits and we had a wonderful couple of days with them before we left early on Boxing Day to drive into London to my brother’s. My parents were already in situ as was my sister in law’s family and we had another very lovely day, rare days of us all being together that should be cherished.
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Our day began in a shower of wrapping paper and smiles after the half eaten carrot on the kitchen table early this morning told our daughter all she needed to know.
Strong coffee to awaken tired eyes followed and the first Bloody Mary has just been shaken and I’m looking forward to a fun family day. My almost sister-in-law has 15 for lunch and I am currently working on an advance party to get to the pub to help build up an appetite.
Enjoy your day and I’d like to wish everyone of you and your families a very Merry Christmas.
We fly home to the UK tonight from Atlanta to spend Christmas with our families, which I am really excited about. Tomorrow after we land at Heathrow we have a bit of M25 navigating to do, first of all we have to nip around to Kent to pick my son up and then go back around the other way to friends in St Albans where we are going to spend tomorrow night.
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Christmas begins in the Chicago Addick family later today when we fly to Atlanta for what has become our little traditional festive jaunt. We base ourselves in Buckhead and will get out to see the awesome Botanical Gardens Christmas Lights and Stone Mountain Park as well as have tea with Santa and his missus. There will also be time for some last minute shopping and this year we have tickets for the Cirque Musica at Phillips Arena.
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Depending how you view this Blog, then you will see snow falling down the screen. That can only mean one thing.
Our tree is up, in fact we have two. We have about 1,500 lights flickering around the house making sure that the local Bermuda electric company make their Q4 earnings and wherever I wonder around the house Christmas tunes can be heard, as well as in the car. The Elf on the shelf appears every night in a different place, sometimes in different outfits. You don’t know what the Elf on the shelf is? Then good for you.
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Chicago Addick 