Christmas 2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A low-key Christmas 2023 with friends, food, and lots of festive cheers. 

Christmas 2023 came and went in a flash! Lady Yeya finished school in mid-December, and had an active social calendar with two birthday parties and lunch playdate before Christmas. With a three-week winter break, we signed Lady Yeya up for a week-long holiday camp at her school which she absolutely loves. 

Santa’s Grotto at John Lewis

In keeping to our annual Christmas tradition, we always go to central London to enjoy the beautiful festive displays on Bond Street. But before that we visited Santa’s Grotto on the 6th floor of Peter Jones in Sloane Square. Step into Santa’s Grotto and crack the code to unlock the door to meet Santa. A lovely soft plush toy is given to all the ‘nice’ kids. Plus Lady Yeya got a bonus gift –  Snapper, the Flytrap Venus, who featured in this year’s much anticipated John Lewis  Christmas advert. 

Then it was on to our annual sushi lunch at Sticks-n-Sushi on Kings Road before heading over to Green Park for our little walking tour through Mayfair.

Christmas Eve Dinner

This year our friends kindly hosted Christmas Eve dinner at their home. It was an Eastern European-inspired menu featuring Czech-style duck and bread dumpling as the main. I made silke su pomidor (herring in tomato and onion sauce) and my friend made traditional silke pataluose, herring “in blanket.” We had a fabulous time enjoying great food and lovely company over a lovely bottle of Ruinart. 

Japanese-inspired Christmas Dinner

Christmas morning is always joyous, filled with special family memories. We start off with breakfast, followed by a family walk through our local park. This year we also hosted our friend’s Cockapoo aka Buddy’s blonde girlfriend whilst our friends were abroad. Then it was on to opening presents much to Lady Yeya’s delight. On her wishlist for Santa includes SpongeBob, a science formula set,  Ninja Turtles, a robot, and Transformers. Kenz joked if you didn’t know better, you’d think we have a little boy

Having hosted a big Thanksgiving meal with our friends in town from California and a big lamb roast the weekend before, we opted for an unconventional Christmas meal. It was a Japanese-inspired menu of fresh sashimi from The Fish Society to start, and a small Asian-style beef roast. 

The holiday is all about Christmas movies. This year we watched Violent Night with David Harbour as Santa. It’s very much Home Alone meets Die Hard. So if you like an action-packed, feel-good comedy, this is a good choice. 

Boxing Day Walk in Blackheath 

Needing to stretch our legs, we organised an impromptu Boxing Day dog walk with our friends to Blackheath. Our friend’s family who was in town from Spain also joined us. It was a fine and dry afternoon which was lovely as the weather has been dark and gloomy. The kids took turns playing fetch with the dogs although Buddy didn’t play ball. Then it was on to The Hare & Billet pub for some drinks and post-Christmas catch-up.

Christmas 2023 was a cosy, low-key affair surrounded by good friends, food, and the gift of love. Then it was off on our ‘crimbo limbo’ trip to Marrakesh and the Sahara Desert where a little adventure awaits.