Christmas at starbucks Christmas passed in a blur of red wine and festive songs last night whilst at a friend's house. It was strange going out on a Christmas night, something that people don't do at home, but walking through Chicago's Old Town and seeing restaurants and bars busy and a Starbucks absolutely packed, Americans, well at least Chicagoans tend to treat Christmas evening like a Sunday and most go back into work today.

Otherwise it was a quiet Christmas peppered with plenty of drink, food and black and white movies. But watching Judge Judy at tea time is not quite the same as an old Only Fools and Horses. Oh how I miss Noel Edmonds, Top of the Pops, The Queen, Eastenders, Only Fools, Parkinson and The Two Ronnies or am I showing my age?

We went to midnight mass on Christmas Eve at the Fourth Church on Michigan Ave and very nice it was too. I'm not much of a believer, Charlton sap my praying capabilities, but we slipped in just before the start and sat upstairs in a packed church with 1,000 or so others.

I have the majority of the rest of the week off, tomorrow I will do some shopping followed by lunch watching our latest manager trying to turn cack into gold. On Friday we fly to Denver for some New Year skiing with friends in Breckenridge.  ¶ 13:16