The whole day was spent in various activities that collectively can be called 'preparing for Christmas' including putting Santa on the hearth, decorating the tree (to be continued), continuing to unpack all my belongings recently arrived from Turkey (ongoing - it's a bit like moving in all over again but I need to be able to accommodate seven family members for dinner on Christmas Day!), waiting for Amazon deliveries (a daily occurrence at the moment) and a brief spell of evening seasonal shopping with Charlie and Maddy. 

Weather continues bitterly cold, pavements are risky to walk on being very icy, but the roads are mostly clear of snow now.