So, how was it for you? I can’t believe it’s nine days since I last wrote to you, and thank you so much for responding and bringing me up to speed with your Christmas plans. I know some of you have been poorly with this wretched flu that’s been doing the rounds, so I hope that you were feeling 100% better by Christmas Day. I treated myself to a copy of the Radio Times this year – my mum always used to buy it and we’d spend hours poring over it and circling all the programmes we wanted to watch! Of course in those days there were only three channels and no TV overnight, unlike now where we have so much choice it can make your head spin! So, Wallace and Gromit, Gavin and Stacey, Call The Midwife and Notting Hill were our choices, and were all equally entertaining. Reeves and Mortimer Gone Fishing is also a favourite as is Strike, so they’ve been recorded, and I’m onto the final ever two episodes of the BBC Drama The Split with Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan. It’s riveting! Can’t wait to see what happens at the end. What did you enjoy?
It was lovely to see Jack on Christmas Eve, and to have him with us on Christmas Day, and lunch for just the three of us was very easy and enjoyable. I found a small turkey crown that took only an hour to cook in my Ninja Air Fryer, and by contrast, my slow cooked gammon was also appreciated.
In an attempt to get Jack to eat sprouts – for the first time in 31 years – Colin prepared them with bacon, pesto and garlic but Jack was strong in his resolve to avoid them at all cost! I thought they were delicious, but wanted to save room for some wicked Christmas pudding ice cream Colin had also made. We enjoyed a few of my mince pies – my homemade mincemeat made such a difference – but the Christmas cake remained untouched! Jack left us at teatime on Christmas Day to go back to his cats, and as we had nothing organised until Sam and Elise were due to arrive on the 27th, we decided to head into London. We had planned to go by train but none of the services were running on Boxing day as I discovered when Colin dropped me at the station to buy our tickets! The roads were pretty clear though so we drove instead and ended up in Notting Hill where all the little shops were open, and I was able to visit the famous bookshop that features in the film!
With 22 folk arriving on the 28th, we’d done a fair bit of shopping ahead of time and planned most of it with military precision so when Sam and Elise arrived on the 27th we were able to sit back and enjoy our time with them. I have to be honest and say I took I hardly any photographs this year, but here are the beautiful flowers they brought for me, and this is the two of them when they went bowling just a few days before. It’s so lovely to see Elise looking so well and we are all very excited for the baby to arrive in February!
The 28th was our family get together and there were 18 adults and four children with us, which is the largest number we’ve had since the summer when my niece was over from Australia! It’s such a blessing to have a large family, and nothing makes me happier than to see them all together. They all work and are incredibly busy so barely see each other throughout the year, but inspite of that they all get on really well. The cold buffet disappeared in no time, and everyone had a chance to catch up before exchanging gifts, catching up and then playing a few games. Jack had brought a new game called Monkey See, Monkey Poo that was hilarious – Corey was the only one who loved it! 😁 What games do you play games at Christmas?
I’m back in the kitchen today, making a carrot cake for my friend Jo‘s birthday on New Year’s Day. We’re spending New Year’s Eve with her and then returning for her family get together on the day itself. Last year we hosted as she fell and broke her ankle on Christmas Eve and was completely immobile! I can’t believe it’s her 65th birthday – mine will be in March – and we’ve been best friends since we were 11 years old! I still remember clear as a bell the day I met her at secondary school in 1971 – our friendship is priceless as are the memories and times we’ve shared.
And that is the perfect place for me to end this blog, but thank you as always for your love and support over this year, and for all your good wishes and hopes for 2025 – I send mine back to you. I know this last 12 months has not been easy for some but I always head into a New Year believing things will be better, and that there is always something to look forward to. For me, each day is a blessing, and I look forward keeping in touch with you here in 2025!
With my love ,
Ali xx
Elaine Sallis says
Hi Ali what a lovely Christmas you have had and so lucky to have seen so many of your family. We went to see twelfth night in Stratford on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was spent at our daughter’s house. Adam and Poppy came there as well which was lovely. Today they have all been to ours and tomorrow New Year’s Eve we are going to to the pantomime in Cheltenham. Happy New Year to you and your family Elaine. Xx
Alison Keenan says
Happy New Year Elaine! Twelfth Night sounds fabulous and very Christmassy, and I’m glad you were with your daughter and granddaughters on Christmas Day. How was the panto? Lovely that you do these traditional things together. Take care and do keep in touch, love Ali xx
Elaine Sallis says
Hi Ali the panto was fabulous we had a great time. Elaine x
Gwyneth Buckley says
Happy New Year to you and all your family. I hope 2025 brings everyone health and happiness and what could be nicer than a new addition to the family xx
Alison Keenan says
Thank you Gwyneth, and to you too! I very much hope it’s a healthy and happy one and yes, a new baby! Soooo exciting 🙂 Love Ali xx
Sonia Kingsley Hughes says
Happy New year Ali.
So pleased you got to all your family over Christmas.
I was lucky to be with my children and grandchildren too , having cooked for them all and transported it all to my daughters for the big day.
We too are looking forward to a new granchild, in March.
I also tv guide to highlight all the programmes I wanted to watch/record. Unfortunately the other half forget to set the box on Christmas day, he realised on route to my daughters. Good job for catch up tv. It’s all he had to do😲.
I watched call the midwife, Gavin& Stacey, Fletcher on the farm, Wallace and grommet and my Yorkshire vet who was thinking 2 gorgeous donkeys. So cute.😍
Enjoy your new years eve with Roz and have a fabulous 2025.
Keep in touch.
Love
Sonia xxx😘
Alison Keenan says
Happy New Year Sonia – a new baby in March – that’s lovely. And your Christmas sounds to have been a great success too, although shame about the TV recordings…. bit of a smacked wrist there! Glad you’ve got catch up 🙂 I think I’ll try Fletcher on the Farm as I watched a bit of that before and really enjoyed it. New Year’s Eve was fun, and I have every hope for 2025 too. New grandbabies for both of us, how lucky. Love Ali xx
Rachel Scott says
Happy New Year Ali!
Fabulous blog as always!
I’m a bit ‘cooked out’! Had my daughter, husband and two grandchildren and my mum the week before Christmas and then my son, aunt, uncle and mum again over actual Christmas! Don’t want see sprouts for another year! Luckily everyone eats them in our family so none left over. 🙂
Yesterday went to a panto at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth starring Rob Rinder and Lesley Joseph so that was great fun.
A quiet night tonight. Hope you and your family have a wonderful year ahead.
With love, Rachel x
Alison Keenan says
By crikey! Sounds as though you were permanently in the kitchen! Although I’m certain every single one of your family really enjoyed their time with you as you’re a great host. Rob Rinder in panto! I would love that – saw the London Panto with Julien Clary last year and laughed til I cried. Happy New year to you and all your family – I hope it will be all you want it to be. Love Ali xx
Hilary Patterson says
Happy New Year and Health & Happiness in 2025 to you Alison and your family xx
Alison Keenan says
Thank you Hilary, and the same to you and yours. Thank you for keeping in touch love Ali xx
Loraine Plumb says
Hi Alison nice to hear all your news again . We had Gary and Lamis for 5 days and Clare Geoff and the girls were here Boxing Day. It’s all gone so quick really. Hope you have a healthy and prosperous New Year. Take care love Loraine. Xx
Alison Keenan says
Hi Loraine, great that you had Gary and Lamis over and Clare Geoff and the girls too! Sounds like a houseful! I’m sure everyone loved their time with you. I agree, there’s so much buildup and then it seems to fly by! I hope that you and your family have a healthy and prosperous New Year too. Love Ali xx
F Lees says
Happy New Year to you and all the family.
May 2025 be good to you.
Thanks for allbyour blogs.
Xx
Alison Keenan says
Hello there, and a very happy new year to you and all your family too. I’m so glad you enjoy the blogs – I enjoy writing them 🙂 Love Ali xx
Tina T says
Happy New Year Ali!
What a lovely Christmas you’ve had with all your family. I had a very quiet Christmas which was fine. I watched Wallace & Gromit, Strike (one of my favourites) The Split (another great favourite) and Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing (a new favourite)!😊
Thanks for all your lovely blogs and I look forward to more in 2025!
Take care Ali and, once again, I wish you and all your family a great year ahead!
Love Tina xx
Alison Keenan says
Dear Tina, I know when I met you I thought we were alike in so many ways! Ours was also a quiet Christmas but we watched exactly the same things as you and enjoyed every moment of them. It was lovely to meet you last year, and I hope that this year will be a happy and healthy one for you and your family, love Ali xxx
Mary Morphy says
Hi Ali, what wonderful photos of the Christmas celebrations you shared with your family…As I write this there is very little left of Christmas in my house as the trees were taken down today and that’s the last of the decorations. My table centrepiece creation i made is still looking fabulous and there are a few sweets left in the dish..fudge, mini mars bars and penny toffees…not our favourites. The hotel chocolat boozy truffles however are going down very nicely and still a few left..my favourite is the mojito, its just wonderful. There’s rhree mince pies left and a bit of Christmas cake which I must say was outstanding this year..plenty of booze soaked fruit..John’s eaten his way through most of it and that’s as well as an additional quick fruit cake I made to try out a recipe…my proper cake was a Jane’s Patisserie recipe..i soaked my fruit in whiskey for a week. The quick cake was a Delia Smith recipe using a jar of mincemeat and extra fruit(which I also soaked in whiskey) and that was pretty good too. We still have a joint of beef and a rolled turkey breast in the freezer..that’s Easter sorted!
A different start to Christmas day for us, very quiet as Chloe, who is normally awake at 5am Christmas morning was in her own home and Jack went to work at 5am and as you may have heard on the news there were plenty of small boat arrivals in Dover over Christmas..he is a small boats officer for Border Force so was kept busy and didn’t finish one shift on time..he has worked all over Christmas and New Year with only one day off which has been tough as we have had Arthur over New Year and Jack didn’t really get to see him much.
Anyway, john didn’t like the quiet of there just being the 2 of us Christmas morning but chloe and her partner Tom were at ours for brie and bacon rolls at 10am..John opened the pub, dinner was at 5pm and there were 8 of us. We played Tree Bingo ( yes its a thing, we also have monkey bingo and dog bingo..oh and poo bingo) then cards..chase the Ace, then Sevens.
I caught up on the tv on boxing day having recorded Call the Midwife, Gavin and Stacey, All Creatures Great and Small among them plus watched the film The Six Triple Eight. Blooming brilliant and I highly recommend it.
I had Arthur NYEve so it was a quiet one but I again entertained the family on New Years Day and provided chilli, curry, Jacket potatoes, cheese and biscuits that weren’ttouched during Christmas and Chloemade a beautiful chocolate log..this time we played poo bingo, cards then some of us played Scrabble..my board is posh and rotates, it also has ridges on to krp the tiles in place! My sister bought it for me years ago..we love it.
I also made butter! I had a large pot of cream that was going out of date and not used so I added rock salt, put it in my kitchen aid and whisked it until I got beautiful butter and buttermilk..I made cheese scones with the buttermilk and the butter is fabulous. Much better than wasting it and I suppose you could make allsorts of flavoured butters..chilli, garlic and herb etc.
I’m back to work Monday so having a relaxed Saturday then Arthur is back on Sunday and Monday as Jack has some time off. Well I think that’s me done.
I wish you and your lovely family a wonderful 2025
Mary xx
Alison Keenan says
Well Mary, how lovely to hear all about your Christmas and all the fabulous food we’ve been cooking and enjoying. Fancy making your own butter! Maybe I’ll give that a go! I do enjoy cheese scones more than anything and I know that you can use buttermilk when you make Irish soda bread which I thoroughly enjoy with salmon. It sounds as though we have all watched the same television which is great – the film you’re recommending was recommended also to us and I’m hoping to watch it tonight! Love your choice of games – haven’t played Scrabble for years but we also have a rotating board! We bought a game called Outsmarted which is interactive and you use it with the television. It’s a bit like a pub quiz really but with a large variety of questions. Everybody enjoyed it and it updates itself constantly with the news questions. Good luck back at work tomorrow and I hope that Jack enjoys his time with Arthur and you also. I hope that the New Year brings you as a family much joy, and an easier time of it for your Jack. I’m glad that Chloe and Tom were with you for Christmas and I’m sure you will see her again soon, as I know you miss her… Lots of love, Ali xx
Karen Brooker says
Happy belated new year Ali to you and all your lovely family. Thanks for all your lovely blogs. Here’s to plenty more. Lots of love Karen xx