And back to America. This is a sketch from Christmas Day, in my wife’s mom’s living room in Santa Rosa, the fireplace after all the presents and stockings had been given out. I had done my back in the day before crouching down on the kitchen floor to find pots and pans for our annual turkey roast on Christmas Eve (it was delicious, but agony). For Christmas in Santa Rosa we have crab. I had been worried that my back would mean I couldn’t go, but was alright on the drive over, and we did our annual presents thing. While people chatted afterwards I sat and played Christmas tunes on my ukulele and sketched the living room. We didn’t go away anywhere for Christmas this year. I’ve often thought it might be nice to have Christmas in somewhere like Salzburg or Norway, or one of those other places in the Rick Steve’s Christmas Special, but it’s a lot of planning, and you want to see family. In the evening we went down to see family in Petaluma, always nice. Next day we walked (or in my case limped) about Target buying half price wrapping paper, and my back started to feel a little better. I never miss the chance to go and get half-price rolls of wrapping paper, and I cannot resist immediately using the wrapping paper like a lightsabre, it’s literally impossible, even with a bad back. I like shiny wrapping paper, and always go for the good stuff, the cheap stuff can go for stocking stuffers. Another Christmas in California, but now it’s 2025.