Christmas is Coming

It has now got to the middle of December and we haven't got our Christmas decorations up yet, we haven't written our cards (sorry to those of you who live abroad), we still haven't finished the Christmas shopping, and to date we haven't sung any carols. The Christmas spirit is lacking in the Dawson household we hear you cry.

But no. We have been indulging ourselves with visiting the world's Christmas markets and tasting mulled wine. Compare and contrast:

Above is Lille, below is Birmingham:

Carefully considered view was that the wine was better in Birmingham, the sausage in Lille. Not sure what that proves.

Lille was a pre-Christmas treat for us both but especially for Debbie as Mark had booked a day trip on the Eurostar as a surprise whilst Uncle Stephen and Aunty Lucy looked after Ben. We travelled from St Pancras International for the first time and were very impressed. Only 1hr 25m to Lille from London! It rained most of the day but we had a lovely time anyway wandering around the Old Town and visiting the Musee des Beaux Arts, frequently taking refuge in bars and cafes for a warming cup of chocolat chaud.

Birmingham was serious Christmas shopping whilst Ben was with the childminder, but after a long day we thought we deserved a cup of Gluwein at the German Christmas Market. Very festive!