I get stressed at Xmas but its just thinking about it and I do the cooking. Its the only time we get together as a family and to be honest I dread the day when they all go off and be with their respictive spouses family. This year I thought my eldest son was going to say that he was spending xmas with his fiancees family as last year he spent it with me. But they say they are with me this year. I am hoping that my middle son comes home as well but he didnt last year. I have only the three of them plus two grandsons one usually spends xmas day with us but the other one rarely as he spends it with his mothers family which is only right and I see him on Boxing day. I have to say I dread when the day comes that they are away for the xmas. But its inevitable as they have their own lives.

I live in the UK too and reading you describe the countyside reminded me of how much I love seeing Britain from the air. I love when you look out from the plane window before dawn and looking down at all the light it looks like a design of the 20/30s beading it so beautiful. And then when the day light comes and the plane circles waiting to land the land itself looks like all different colours of chanile velvet all the autumn colours its all so beautiful.