I was happy we were finally heading back to Belgium to put a finish to the endless wait for Christmas. As with many good things, Christmas came twice this year:
One day earlier than expected we had our intimate Christmas celebration with Mamy, Tata and Tonton, Maman and Papa. It was the real thing with turkey and all the trimmings. There were so many presents under the Christmas tree. Finally after dinner we opened them and I was delighted to find out that most of them were mine.
On the 24th we celebrated Christmas among the extended family at Jean-Pierre’s chapel. The venue could not be more fitting, everyone was dressed up for the occassion and the atmosphere was festive and magical. I was allowed to stay up a little longer and joined in for the starter (foie gras but no Sauternes for me). I was told the food and wine was excellent.
On the very next day we left the city behind and drove to Knokke. The seaside is much more calm in winter and very enjoyable indeed. We went on walks on the beach, feasted on Mamy’s seafood and discovered the all new in-door swimming pool in Knokke. It has several shallow pools for me, the big wave and 4 massive slides one of which was also suitable for me. With such a pool, I wonder why anyone would still go to the sea 
In time for New Year’s Eve we went back to Brussels where we spent two days at the house of Tata and Tonton. They live close to a forest. So we played explorer. We feed on raw chestnuts and built wooden arrows to hunt bears and other wild animals. I loved it. The other day we created our own self made pizza. It is so much fun to do and much easier than I thought.
I also formed a rock band with some of my young friends. Taking initiative, I volunteered to become the lead singer. We gave our first performance to our mothers who enthusistically endorsed our efforts. We are still looking for a catchy name for the group – any suggestions are welcome.
