This Side of the Pond

The international news may seem filled with doom and gloom, but that’s not always the case around Christmas. One of my favorite things about the season is watching the kindness and generosity – and, of course, having the occasional giggle at silly ideas.

Such as the 500 wiener dogs (known in my part of the world as sausage dogs) who gathered with their humans in London’s Hyde Park last week, every single one of them wearing a Christmas outfit. I assume the event was not their own idea, but they sure did wear those costumes with panache.

There was Lord William as a turkey, Noodle and Shnitzel as elves and Lulu who could barely see out from under her tinsel. I am jealous of all those pup owners who spent the afternoon trotting around with their proud Dachsunds, because every time I try to put the reindeer horns we have stashed in our Christmas box on the dog, she freezes in place until I make them go away.

Or the YouTube star from Nottingham by the name of LadBaby who is known in the UK for videos about his adventures in parenting, who may just beat Ariana Grande to the top spot on the music charts. I can’t figure out how the joke got rolling, but he’s made a spoof version of “We Built This City” by Starship.

It’s not rock n’ roll his city is built on, however, but sausage rolls. I can get behind this thinking – like most Brits, I could probably live on the snacks. Best of all, every penny of the profits from this sausage roll song is going to a pair of food bank charities in the UK, which does feel appropriate under the circumstances.

In more sentimental news, you may not have heard about the elderly gentleman from the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, who struck up a friendship with the two-year-old girl who lived next door. So much did he adore her that, just after he died, there was a knock at the door from his daughter.

The little girl’s parents were surprised to see her holding a bag containing all the Christmas presents he had bought for their child. She may no longer have her friend to play with, but she’ll have a gift to remember him by every Yule for the next 14 years.

I’m not sure whether I’m touched or amused by the Christmas Weed, a bleedin’ enormous green thing growing on the edge of a sidewalk in Toledo that someone’s father decided was big enough to pass for a tree. Why buy one when we can just decorate that, he said, and so began the world’s most festive dad joke.

You’d have thought people crossing the intersection would be baffled or faintly annoyed, but quite the opposite has happened. Members of the community keep bringing new decorations for the once-neglected weed, including blinking lights, a skirt to keep it warm and even a miniature train set for it to play with.

I’m definitely leaning towards the sentimental side for the Texas mom, Stephanie Davisson, who helped Santa create a special letter to send to the families of military personnel and first responders, who can’t always be at home on Christmas Day.

“You surely know that every December 25 I visit children around the world, spreading holiday cheer. But did you know I make other, special trips for children just like you?” it said.

The letter her eight-year-old received explained that Santa wanted him to enjoy a special Christmas morning with his family and, to make that happen, he would be willing to set up an alternative delivery schedule.

Of course, there’s always someone out there who feels like Christmas isn’t being Christmassy enough, and this year that honor goes to Kiev, which is known for the incredible trees that appear in St. Sophia’s Square. Last year’s was apparently so big that it pulled down power cables as it was dragged into position.

It seems that the tree set itself a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and, unlike the rest of us, was wholly successful. This year, the tree is so skinny that locals are comparing it to a carrot and wondering if the people who chose it were drunk. One man said it was the worst Christmas tree of all time, but he was wrong – he’s never been to my house before I quietly move the ornaments my husband didn’t put where I wanted them.

And finally, for anyone still interested in baking after the eruption of sweet treats the holidays bring, the Queen’s household has been gracious enough to share the recipe for the signature gingerbread biscuits served by the Royal Pastry Chefs.

Sift 7oz of self rising flour with a teaspoon each of ground ginger and spice mix. Dice 3.5 oz of unsalted butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips. Add 2 fl oz of milk to form a paste, then wrap in film and rest for at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and roll out the dough until it’s around 0.1 inch high. Cut out cookie shapes and lay on greaseproof paper, then sprinkle with sugar and bake until set. Decorate with piped frosting and serve when cool – or even hang them on the tree for young visitors to discover.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas – and I wish everyone their happiest, healthiest and most prosperous New Year yet.