It is turning out to be a rather different Christmas to the one we expected. At the beginning of the week Chris and I were not sure how many people we would have staying with us over Christmas. We knew that our eldest and youngest daughters would be away but we thought it likely that our number one son and middle daughter (with boyfriend) would be joining us; then there is our niece and her boyfriend, over from Australia, and living in London – we thought they were coming too.

On the basis that we would be having a full house we began to prepare all the spare bedrooms.

“When are Gemma and Blake coming?” Chris asked, getting out the hoover.

I wasn’t sure so I sent an email to Gemma.

“Is Susannah coming down with her boyfriend?” I asked Chris. (Some fresh sheets were in my hands.)

Neither of us knew, so Chris tried to call her, left messages, and sent emails; and so did I. At last she checked her various message sources and phoned back – she would not be coming because she is going to have Christmas with the family of her boyfriend.

“Who will you put in the big bedroom – Jim or Gemma and Blake?” Chris asked.

“Whoever arrives first,” I answered.

Everyone likes the biggest bedroom with the bay window overlooking the sea, even us. Chris and I have had a change of scene up in that bedroom for the last three weeks, but we moved our things back downstairs because the kids were coming.

Gemma’s reply arrived and I half-remembered an earlier conversation some weeks ago that informed of their intention to spend Christmas Day with Blake’s relatives in Wales. They would be joining us on Boxing day instead.

“It looks like Jim will be having the big bedroom,” I told Chris as we made up the bed.

Jim emailed last night to apologise for any disappointment, but he would not be coming for Christmas after all.

“We might as well have stayed upstairs and not bothered with all the moving around,” Chris said, as we lay in our old bed again.

“But it’s quite nice to be in our own bed again.”

And it was true. Our bed, the one we bought when we were first married, is the most comfortable bed in the house, even though the air is chillier in our downstairs bedroom.

Tonight it is Christmas Eve and, for the first time in our marriage, we have none of our children at home with us. It is a funny feeling, one that we’ll probably have to get used to because they are all getting to the age when they will be settling down themselves and having children of their own. I guess this is another milestone.

Tomorrow we will have eight for Christmas dinner, not the thirteen we might have had, and, as in other years, we will toast the loved ones who cannot be with us. I will raise a glass to you too. Merry Christmas to you all…