Countdown to Christmas: 10 days

Andy and I are spending Christmas in Italy this year. You know what that means: pizza all day, every day. It also means I won't have reliable Internet. Sorry, Italian hotels, but I don't trust you (at least not the ones in our budget).

So, thinking ahead like the responsible adult I am, I decided to schedule my blog posts in advance. Starting today, I'll be sharing a Christmas photo, memory and gift idea as I count down the days until December 25th.

Remember, your present for me can be clicking through the Amazon ads and spending the big bucks. Don't forget to buy yourself a treat too. Something real nice.

Today's Christmas photo

Christmas 1986.
Very difficult to tell Char and Francie apart in this one. C in the middle, F on the right? I think that's it. 

Today's Christmas memory*

It was my family's annual Christmas party and all evening my cousin Willem (about 11 at the time) had been planning to serenade the guests with Raffi's 'Douglas Mountain'. He got up on "stage", made it halfway through and then the nerves got to him. He ran off down the hall after the first verse and hid in my parents' bedroom. As a choir girl myself, I really felt for him. Singing in front of people is incredibly nerve-wracking. But good on him for giving it a go!

*The Christmas memory will not relate to the photo. I'm good, but I'm not that good. 

Today's gift idea 

Smartwool socks! The best sock known to man (and woman). The wool is super warm, but also thin and breathable. They hug your feet like it's the long-lost sibling they never knew they had. Absolute perfection.

 < --- US shoppers

 < --- UK shoppers

Now bring me some figgy pudding,
Margaret