‘Open the card first!’ he says, so for a change I do what my parents tell me. I take the Christmas card out of the envelope and I almost choke with emotion when I see my own daddy’s handwriting. Dad never writes Christmas cards, or birthday cards or any type of cards for that matter. He always leaves it to Mam, which makes this moment even more special. He watches and waits with his hands in his pockets as I read his words.

To Charlotte,

Our youngest, our baby, and always our pride and joy. You have made me so proud since the very first day you were born, I hope you know that. Don’t ever change, because as Oscar himself said (or did he?), you must be yourself as everyone else is already taken.

All my love,

Dad

I purse my lips and my eyes fill up, then I hug my darling daddy who has given me absolutely everything he could to get this far in life. For so long I feared I’d disappointed him along the way, but this gift and card have let me know that he loves me just the way I am.

‘This is from me,’ Mam says, not wanting to give Dad too much of the limelight. I swoon at her beautiful floral arrangement, which she reminds me three times she made all by herself at her new class, then she launches into stories of her fellow classmates, even though no one has a clue of who she is talking about.

‘This painting will take pride of place in the sitting room,’ says Jack, admiring the rather unusual portrait of the famous Irish poet. ‘Maybe he might even inspire you to write some more, Char?’

I snuggle into my husband. I was thinking the exact same thing.

‘You never know, I might even treat you all to a song after the turkey tomorrow,’ I tell him. ‘I’ve been practising lately and the words are starting to come my way again.’

Jack looks at me with great delight.

‘Well, that would be the best Christmas present ever!’ he tells me and kisses my forehead.

When everyone has drinks in their hand and the conversation is flowing about everything from puppy toilet training, to pregnant bumps, to my new job at the tiny rural school in Ardara (which I absolutely love and adore), to Jack’s promotion and the opening of his new practice, to Dad’s back trouble and Mam’s new flower arranging class, we just have two more guests before our party is complete. And when I see the headlights come onto the driveway, I know my brother and his partner have finally arrived safely.