Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale and a Happy Christmas to you all.
And merci, gracias, grazie and thanks a lot to all my friends who have sent me Christmas cards this year.
I’ll even let you off cancelling your Christmas parties and not sending me a Christmas hamper this year.
So here are a few of the Christmas cards I’d like to show off to you…
Christmas in my Sandals
And yes that’s just how they roll at Sandals and in the Caribbean.
Where what they lack in chimneys and fireplaces they make up for in mango trees.
And Santa can soothe his feet in a Sandals swim-up pool.
My old friends in Ireland
And while my Dear Old Mum will be spending her Christmas in a Glasgow care home, a nod to her homestead of Donegal.
Donegal, in the north-west of Ireland has all the warmth of the peaty sod and will be wonderful this Christmas.
So here’s to all Donegallers everywhere and thanks to the award-winning Harvey’s Point.
Scandi Claus
When I was thinking of going to Sweden this year my first port of call was my old Irish pal and Scandiphile Alan.
And a God Jul to you too and destination specialists Hadler DMC.
I got a tantalising view of Sweden on my MSC Cruises trip from Kiel, Germany through Denmark and up to Norway.
Cruises WILL be back in the New Year and of course that means river cruises too as well as the big seabreakers. Anyone for MS Arena?
Another year younger
I’ve told you once or a hundred times about the lifegiving qualities of Enkutatash, Ethiopia’s New Year.
Because they live by the old calendar.
Back in the day an invite came through for Women’s Day from Ethiopian Airlines and a trip to celebrate womenhood in Ethiopia.
From where Lucy, the first women we have bones for derives.
I offered to drag up. But in the end I sent a colleague.
Bohemian wrapsody
Of course we know who looked out on the Feast of Stephen.
Only the bustling Wenceslas Square will be empty this Christmas.
The Czechs are the most wonderfully resilient people, situated as they are between Europe’s great powers.
They will be back and so will we… Urquell in hand by the beautiful Vlatva River.
We wish Wu a Merry Christmas
And isn’t it just like that? You get a card in and you panic that you haven’t sent them one.
So to Wendy Wu and the two Johns thank Wu for everything this year, particularly the legendary Chinese New Year lunch in January in Dublin.
And I know you’ll look after The Son and Heir when he heads to China next year.
And a Felice anno nuovo too
And in the most fallow of fallow years I will always treasure my Autumn trip to Bergamo with Omio.
Miei amici have gone back into the strictest zone as they predicted when I visited but I’m sure it will all pay off.
And we’ll all be eating stracciatella gelato soon in Citta Alta.
