festive

How Santa is destroying Christmas for our kids…

November 19, 2025 By Ellen 4 Comments

I dithered about allowing Boy Three to go to his after school club’s Christmas Party – and here’s why… Claus for concern pic: Kevin Dooley via Flickr It’s supposed to be magical. Children waiting for the kindly, bearded chap to deliver their heart’s desire into an old sock on Christmas Eve. Then they ooh and […]

Christmas – back in the box

January 4, 2021 By Ellen

This year, I loved the tinsel of it, the treats and the warmth. Even the sigh of relief when it was pared down further to the cosy bones. I relished the pause, the chance to reflect on what a changeling 2020 was. How I was lucky to surf the waves and wash up on a […]

Dispatches from the bunker of having it all – in the trendy food place

December 19, 2018 By Ellen

There I was in the hipster sandwich shop (the one that gives the Panther rage, with its cute double entendre names and instagram-friendly chalk board) waiting for the chap to squirt patterns with dressing on my salad. I had headphones in and I was listening to Anna Burns’ brilliant Milkman, totally content and anticipating a […]

Christmas: How to cope when it isn’t your turn to have the kids

December 30, 2017 By Ellen

I wrote this a couple of Christmases ago and I was reminded of it when I saw another mum chum going through similar this year. Every other year Boys One and Two spend Christmas with their dad. We’ve been doing it this way for 15 years now. So that’s around seven December 25ths I’ve spent […]