My husband is something of a pathological optimist, especially when it comes to housebuilding. Whenever anyone asked when the house would be finished he would reply 'We'll be in by Christmas.' He never actually said which Christmas and five of them came and went.

Then...

... there we were in by Christmas 2007!

It had to be just about the most chaotic Christmas we've ever had. P was assembling the kitchen around us, my brother was painting the dining room the day before Christmas Eve, there was stuff everywhere and we had hardly any furniture. Thankfully my friend Louise had a spare table and chairs. P's Dad came out of hospital just in time so we managed to have him and our neighbour 'Dorothy' for a proper family Christmas dinner in our own home, for the first time in 5 years. As things were to turn out I'm really, really glad that we managed it.

On Boxing Day my brother and his family came over (I've 2 nieces aged 9 and 12) and it was lovely, it really was.

The previous Christmas had been a bit overshadowed by a family falling-out but we had gone to an Italian restaurant (looking like a disabled person's outing: P's Dad with his walking frame, Dorothy with her stick and me in the wheelchair) and I had what was think the nicest chocolate cake I've ever eaten.

The previous three Christmases we were at P's Dad's. The only problem I had with this was that none of the men in their family seem to feel the cold and P's Dad always lit his fire at 4pm and he didn't see why it should be any different just because it was Christmas Day. When I say 'lit his fire' that was the only form of heating in the house.When I finally said please could I have some heating seeing as it was December after all P, his Dad and J all shook their heads and looked at me like I was mad : 'She needs heating?'

Anyway this year it was definitely, definitely better.