Originally Posted by Englishmum

Next Saturday night I'm flying to LHR and my mum is going to meet me - she will be taking the Heathrow Express bus from Coventry but told me that she doesn't want to get up 'too early' so I guess I'll be hanging around a Terminal 3 coffee shop with a Sunday newspaper until she turns up!

We will stay in an hotel in Hounslow (next to the Piccadilly Line tube station) so I won't need to rent a car. My daughter lives on the Isleworth/Twickenham border but there is a bus service which goes from the town right to where she lives (in a tiny flat). I had a massive argument with her horrible (controlling) partner in the Summer as he demanded that I apologise to him for something I didn't do. I refused to bow to his demand, so he's 'banned' me from going to the flat if he's around...

Anyway, I can't wait to see my lovely little baby grandaughter (9 months old). There is a Christmas party at the nursery where she goes 2 days a week and my daughter wants my mum and myself to attend.

On the 16th I return to LHR and fly to Zurich to spend Christmas and NY with my spouse in Switzerland - our first Christmas there. The Swiss - like most mainland Europeans - celebrate on the evening of Christmas Eve, but there are other expats on the condo and I think there is a vague plan to go up to the massive hill behind when it gets dark, light up the fire pit (next to a small waterfall) and cook up some bratwurst and drink some mulled wine (if it isn't snowing!). I have no idea what we will eat on Christmas Day yet, the Swiss Germans apparently cook goose, which we don't fancy but I don't know if one can get a turkey breast or not (although we've just had turkey over here for Thanksgiving). Perhaps we can pick up a ham or some pork roast.

I will miss one local tradition there which takes place tomorrow (spouse got a circular); Father Christmas sails across Lake Zug to the village (we are about 11/2 miles from the town of Zug) on a boat lit with fairy lights. All the village children greet him at the lakeside with hand-made candle-lit lanterns and they parade around the village, where they receive a gift. Also many of the local residents have an 'open house' at their individual residences and it seems that one can go and see their decorated homes and offer Christmas greetings - not sure if gifts or food/drink is involved.

I plan to hit one of the 'pound shops' in Hounslow or Twickenham to get Christmas tree lights as they're extremely expensive in Switzerland. We hope to have a real tree this year, last year in tropical Singapore we had a scraggly fake tree which we threw out. I'm not sure how many of our tree baubles made it in the shipment.....

Our son is planning to come to Switerland too and will fly directly from New Jersey to Zurich, but sadly my daughter is unable to get time off from work.....and her horrible spiteful partner doesn't want the baby to have a passport...

Originally Posted by ble

Just a quiet one for us, at home.
My parents are coming for a few nights - which is nice. Hopefully one of the last times that it is a Summer Christmas for us.

Kids are disappointed that there is no snow, and it is hayfever season, which most of the family suffer from dreadfully.

So I am hoping for a gray, windy, rainy day, in which I can get the fire going and put the carols on, and while not quite the same as a white christmas, is a good half way mark.

Shame for the kids with their new bikes though

Originally Posted by Beedubya

Perhaps you are downunder?

I NEVER EVER felt a Christmas there like I do here...........ever...........

Originally Posted by Shazban

Well, my daughter and I just returned to the UK for good mid August this year and this will be my first Christmas here in over 17 yearsl (her first ever).

To be honest I have been dreading Christmas because since arriving I've been unsuccessfully looking for a job and was starting to miss my old home in America, my car, my job and my salary - (something I wasn't expecting) and I was seriously thinking about going back to Connecticut for a week or two over the holidays.

Fast forward to 3 days ago, I got a full time job offer which I will start January 3rd. Well that totally changed EVERYTHING for us. We went out and bought our tree today along with lights. We had brought our decorations with us from the US. The tree is now decorated and looking beautiful, our spirits are lifted and we're now trying to figure out how we shall celebrate our first xmas in the UK

Originally Posted by Shazban

Well, my daughter and I just returned to the UK for good mid August this year and this will be my first Christmas here in over 17 yearsl (her first ever).

To be honest I have been dreading Christmas because since arriving I've been unsuccessfully looking for a job and was starting to miss my old home in America, my car, my job and my salary - (something I wasn't expecting) and I was seriously thinking about going back to Connecticut for a week or two over the holidays.

Fast forward to 3 days ago, I got a full time job offer which I will start January 3rd. Well that totally changed EVERYTHING for us. We went out and bought our tree today along with lights. We had brought our decorations with us from the US. The tree is now decorated and looking beautiful, our spirits are lifted and we're now trying to figure out how we shall celebrate our first xmas in the UK

Originally Posted by Shazban

Well, my daughter and I just returned to the UK for good mid August this year and this will be my first Christmas here in over 17 yearsl (her first ever).

To be honest I have been dreading Christmas because since arriving I've been unsuccessfully looking for a job and was starting to miss my old home in America, my car, my job and my salary - (something I wasn't expecting) and I was seriously thinking about going back to Connecticut for a week or two over the holidays.

Fast forward to 3 days ago, I got a full time job offer which I will start January 3rd. Well that totally changed EVERYTHING for us. We went out and bought our tree today along with lights. We had brought our decorations with us from the US. The tree is now decorated and looking beautiful, our spirits are lifted and we're now trying to figure out how we shall celebrate our first xmas in the UK

Originally Posted by sallysimmons

Congrats on the job!

Hopefully this will be our last Christmas in New York, so we're going into town one evening next week to see the Rockerfeller Christmas tree and the 5th avenue store windows and the Bryant park skaters. On Christmas Day night I plan to wallow in the Downton Abbey Christmas special - I even ordered a British Christmas cake and some Quality Street just for the occasion

My family and friends have all sent cards saying 'next year we'll celebrate together!' which has cheered me up no end.

Originally Posted by Beedubya

Oooh that bit about Father Christmas coming across the lake and the kiddies with their lanterns sounds just magical.

In fact, it all sounds wonderful EXCEPT for your daughter's controlling boyfriend, how sad some people are.

Originally Posted by windsong

Sally, when are you leaving the USA for England? I know you have to sell your home but do you have a particular date in mind?

Originally Posted by sallysimmons

Just as soon as the house sells!