Christmas

Christmas is really a big deal here - Christmas trees, markets, gluhwein...We went to 3 carol services - one at the Bristol cathedral and one at the Lord Mayor's chapel. People invite each other for coffee and mince pies and pre-Christmas dinners. And everybody sends cards! - We sent for the first time too this year.

Our tree went up early as we decided to follow Advent - we read the book "Jotham's Journey" - a lovely advent book by Arnold Ytreeide. Next year we'll read Tabitah's Travels :) A lovely way to keep focussed on what Christmas is really about!
 
On Christmas eve we went Holly Hunting with friends - well, really just a walk in the forest and a snowball fight:)
Christmas day was not technically a white Christmas as it did not snow, but everything was still white from the previous week's snow.
We had a delicious Christmas dinner with friends, then a walk in the snow and then spent the afternoon with them playing games. We were so blessed that they included us in the day:)

Snow

                                         Freezing frost

Well, winter came early to Bristol and we had our first snow in December - nothing in January yet. We have had fun walking in the snow, throwing snow balls and sledging down the hill behind our flat - all very exciting. But watch out - one the snow starts compacting into ice, it is very treacherous - had a fall myself just before Christmas and had a sore back for a week after!