I loved this. A short collection of essays by the author about the joys and horrors of Christmas, and particularly about those horrors that are really joys and you would miss if they weren’t there. They’re written so well to really bring you into the moment. I can completely imagine the swimming pool situation - Santa in a swimming pool is such a weird concept. And the endless obsessions over the moistness of a turkey. Brilliant. Just a great read and so easy to get through in one sitting.

This is such a subtle, calm, slice of life style book - a series of letters that detail the mundanity of real life. Although it’s not quite real life, this is still high art London with people that can afford nannies and have Alan Bennett as a neighbour. But still, the best part of the book is the snippets of conversation between Nina and the family she has become a part of - the boys, the sarcastic mother, the intellectual neighbour, and her future husband. It’s nice to see her evolving to become a student, too, whilst still keeping strong bonds with the family.