Well, it’s the first day of Advent, and officially time for my Christmas decorations to go up. We’re having a party here tonight to drink some mulled wine and trim the tree.

One minor complication — it’s my first Xmas in the house, and the ceilings here are all sloped. So I’m left with the challenge of finding some way to squeeze my 7-ft tree under my 4-ft eaves! It looks like it’ll just have to sit out in the centre of the room.

Aude bought me an Advent calendar when we were in France a few weeks ago — opened the first window to reveal a piece of nougat. She’s right, you know. I am just a big kid.

Happy Christmas season, everyone!