the marathon that is noel

Christmas Eve - restaurant full, finish at 11pm, frantic stocking and sack filling, fall into bed at about 1am. No time for even half a glass of champers to celebrate Christmas.
Christmas morning - woken up at 7am by Scarlet - who has discovered Papa Noel's carefully planted sock surprise.....the surprise being that it is inside a hood, as Papa Noel couldn't find the socks. Much joyful squealing and present opening later and it is time to a) open the bar for Christmas morning die-hards and b) Scarlet to get dressed and go to church to deliver baby Jesus into his creche. Duties over, bar closed, guests arrive. Much food is consumed and wine drunk. Scarlet gets bored and invites friend Claire to play - so we adults are left alone to get really silly. Oh dear. Christmas day ends with me falling down stairs and bumping head hard. Ouch.
Boxing day - set off for Evreux - lunch with Bruno, Corinne and girls; dinner with Monique and Jean, and early bed. Thursday morning - hop a train for Paris (carefully ignoring Scarlet's increasingly irritated coughing) After 3 hours of window-admiring and licking (as they say in french)in Paris realise guiltily that Scarlet is actually really ill and feverish so decide to grab a bite and return to Evreux and then home. Found the best restaurant ever called Le Roi du Pot au Feu - selling, believe it or not, pot au feu. Absolutely fabulous, jam packed heaving with celebs, bang in the centre of Paris, one of those rare little gems that you only find once in a Paris-time. Train to Evreux, dose Scarlet up with much paracetamol and head home in thick pea-souper of a fog. Amazingly arrived home alive and in one piece, and all hit the sack. We slept like little and big logs and awoke this morning feeling fine. Scarlet much better, very busy lunch, even busier tonight. Life is looking good :)