Ho Ho Ho!

I've just been into Audlem to collect my order from the butchers and the Deli, and to pop into Wine Geek to wish them a very Merry Christmas. The tree in the middle of the village is still leaning slightly but looks amazing with all the twinkling lights, and as I stepped out of the Deli a small brass band started to play – what a fantastic feeling to be away from all the rugby scrum of town, wandering round our pretty little village and able to find all the bits and pieces you need. We're always at home for Christmas – Angus and the farm staff work on a rota and everyone has every other Christmas day off. It's Angus's turn to work this year so the kids will be desparate for him to finish morning milking and come in for breakfast so they can open their presents. I've promised them they can then spend the day doing whatever they like, eating whatever they like and getting dressed whenever they like. If I need them to get dressed I'll just leave the heating off (it's a cold house so it won't take long before they give in)! The Overwater office is closed for 2 days so, apart from emergencies, we all get some time off to relax. We're closing the office at 1pm today and I'm planning on going home and going for a ride with the kids – we might even decorate the horses with a bit of tinsel to get us in the mood! Then there's a nice bottle of something fizzy in the fridge while we settle down to an evening of NORAD's Santa Tracker – which tracks his progress around the globe (great for teaching your kids geography and fantastic for whipping up the christmas spirit). We'll be hanging up the stockings and leaving a glass of sherry, a homemade mince pie and a couple of carrots out, because however old you are, if you truely believe, you never just know..........