No Show Snow for Christmas in Yorkshire

I’ve experienced Christmas in many different places and circumstances. In fact it was at Christmas five years ago that I packed my bags and left England to work as a teacher in Indonesia. So coming back to the Uk, with my wife Yohana, has been truly exceptional. It wouldn’t matter where we were really, the family aspect to it is what makes it. But Yorkshire also has a certain je ne sais quoi.

Obviously the key reason for our second trip to the UK inside a year, was to spend time with my Dad whose cancer has seemingly managed to get the upper hand at the moment. He wasn’t expecting us back until the 14th January and had been telling everyone how much he was looking forward to it. Mum slipped Dad a mickey by telling him she was going shopping when in fact she was collecting us from Darlington railway station. I only wish I could show you the look on my Dad’s face as Uchiel walked into the living room. He did a double take and as he looked at her for the second time, his facial expression was the dictionary definition of ‘gobsmacked’. What I can tell you is that everyone, including my father, will remember it forever.

As for the weather, well Uchiel was cold enough when we came back in May but this time she’s been positively frozen. We had no need to buy winter clothes, not that we’d have known where to find them in Jakarta, as we have basically just been wearing hand me downs. But we have made it outside into the fresh air a couple of times, in fact today the car was frozen solid so that was another experience. But still no snow (technically, there was a light dusting of snow through the night into Boxing Day, but it could have equally been mistaken for a particularly hard frost).

Christmas Day was a class affair. We roasted a goose, had vegetables and yorkshire puddings too and some quite stunning desserts. There were artisan chocolates, loads of wine and some pretty good port and Mum’s Christmas cake, decorated with pigs, ladybirds and pandas due to the unavailability of more traditional Christmas cake decorations. Presents were opened, tv was watched and all in all it was just a truly great day.