Christmas in NW3 #1 spending hours and hours at the Hampstead Waterstones choosing presents for my huge English family. From Louis (age 20 months) to Miles (age 70). Counting-blocks, a Mister Men stencil-set, Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Bookshops are always great fun especially when they're a one-stop-shop before Christmas.

#2 taking time off shopping to start Murakami's South of the Border, West of the Sun in Cafe Rouge.

#3 opening my Christmas stocking with A, in bed.

#4 playing Jenga and opening pop-up books with the cutest children in the world.

#5 playing Articulate with amusingly competitive adults.

#6 missing midnight Mass but going to the lovely Choral Matins at 11am the following morning at Hampstead Church. Great singing and the best sermon I've ever heard - the Irish vicar (I thought he was Canadian) had a Stephen Hawking drone of a voice which simply drew me in like a magnet (honest) and pronounced the line "now we'll all go home and eat so much that we'll explode then walk to our sofa, lie down and sleep" (imagine that line read by Hawking. This was OK Computer does Christmas Mass). Later some organ-playing reminded me of Jean-Michel Jarre but A didn't agree when I pointed this out her.

#7 Christmas lunch at A's sister's. Wow!

#8 watching Once in a Lifetime at The National. I'm not a big fan of musicals (in fact they tend to depress me) but this was not really a musical - just a bit of dancing and singing in cabaret style every now and then. David Suchet (Hercule Poirot) was great in the role of a Hollywood magnate. This production was what I'd call eye-candy. Not my favourite kind of theatre by a long shot but good fun - a bit like going to the circus.

#9 reading a letter from David Cameron MP LEADER OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY which was sent to A. It's signed 'David'. What next to appear 'EVEN closer to the electorate'? Nicknames?

#10 reading Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Shit? The Encyclopedia of Modern Life. Entries include "Networking", "Roadtanks - SUVs, 4x4s, etc.", "High-profile local businessmen" and "Pubs selling shit art". There's also this one (probably my favourite):

Picture bylines
These pictures are useful in helping the reader identify with the person behind the word-processing document. These smart, thoughtful portraits convey the message that the newspaper is employing the intellectual elite and reassures the reader that the following text composed is not by someone who is ugly (and Christ, nobody wants that).
The messages etched into their expressions convey a series of complex signifiers. This one has a faraway look, scarred but resolute, obscurely strengthened by experience. Like Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner, it says: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...attack ships on fire off the shores of Orion..."
Here the writer arches their eyebrow. This is to physically, literally represent that they are arch and knowing. It is helpful for them to do this as you will be entirely unable to detect this from the text, which will be self-obsessed drivel.
Another nods their head downwards, coyly smirking up to the camera, saying, "Betya wanna shag me, don'tcha? Don'tcha? Huh!?" Others, peering sideways over their shoulder with their eyelids half-closed, look wry and mocking and say: "There's no one in the world more wry and mocking than yours truly - but don't worry, I'm self mocking too!"

#11 it was snowing a minute ago and I was going to end with that. But it's stopped. So I won't.  ¶ 12:42 AM