Christmas...in October

'Far too early to be thinking about Christmas' most will shout.  Including me.

In the good old US of A you've got something called Halloween and then Thanksgiving, or vice versa and you have to get those darn elections over and done with.

Here it's a few name days and a National holiday and church fiestas.  You know the drill.  I don't have to fill you in on all of those.

And then December.  And a few more family birthdays.  Though October seems to be the most popular month for those in our family.

Anyway.....

It's not till December that I usually start thinking of Christmas.  And presents.  Though K is already pressing me on what we will eat on Christmas day.  The usual!  He cooks Greek and I cook kiwi.

The grandchildren have all grown up and it's not easy finding presents that they might enjoy so last year we started a Secret Santa Christmas draw.  Each of us drew one name and we all bought a present just for that person.

Oh, except for the Christmas stockings.  That's a tradition they all still enjoy even though the oldest is 24.

This year the next wave of grandchildren are going off to the big city to study and by next week there will be only one left on Poros for the winter.  So we had the Secret Santa draw early while most of them are still on the island.

And, as usual, you can't come to Papou Ks house without partaking of food and drink so it was another 'party'.

'Guess who' hiding in her hoody, keeping warm after a few hours of rowing practice.  She wrote the names on slips of paper.

So whose name did you draw Poppi Mou?

An excellent bottle of Marlborough ( NZ) sauvignon blanc for Elli and I and our granddaughters sharing it with us too now.  Darn.  

Thank you Peter and Fernanda who brought two bottles of NZ wine when they visited last month.

K and son in law Yiannis drinking the local plonk

All set up and almost ready to go 

The meat is on the grill, the 'good wine' bottle open