I HOPE you all had a very festive holiday. We did in the Craddock household, although we were all suffering with colds, sneezes and coughs.

It was a quieter-than-normal Christmas as my parents spent the holiday with my brother and sister-in-law in America, where they live (we had a family video webchat with them on Christmas Day).

So it was me, Louise, Emily and Matthew enjoying the festivities with Lou's mum and dad.

Matthew, at five months, was too young to appreciate what was going on. He just smiled the whole time and found much pleasure in the torn-up wrapping paper that littered the living room carpet.

Emily, meanwhile, was as high as Santa's sleigh with excitement.

On Christmas Eve we sprinkled special reindeer food (with glitter mixed in) on the front lawn to catch the attention of Father Christmas and Rudolph.

We also tracked Santa's progress via the Norad website (if you've not seen this, click on to www.noradsanta.org). The sleigh was over the Ukraine when we checked, just before Emily went to bed.

On the Sunday between Christmas and New Year we took the children to Chester Zoo. We went for the zoo's Frost Fair which they hold every year. There was Santa's Grotto, a carousel and a singing snow dragon.

But the main attraction was the outdoor ice rink.

Emily had been dying to have a go ever since she saw it last year. She was too small then, but this year we promised she could have a go.

Louise ventured out on to the rink with Emily, while Matthew and I watched from the safety of the viewing area, a cup of hot chocolate warming my hand.

In the 50-minute slot Lou and Emily had they managed three circuits of the rink, Emily slithering about like Lee Evans and Lou hanging on desperately to the safety rail.

On New Year's Eve we took Emily to see CBeebies Live at the MEN Arena in Manchester. (Matthew stayed at home with his grandparents: he's not ready yet for the Teletubbies.) Meanwhile, my brother and his wife bought Emily a half-size beginner's guitar for Christmas. I play a fairly mean rhythm guitar in a self-taught kind of way, while Emily's grandad is classically trained to grade seven. So he's pretty good.

But while he was tuning up Emily's guitar and finger-picking a classical melody, Emily said: 'Doesn't sound very good, does he?' This comment came just days after she'd seen Pavarotti singing on television, and turned to Lou and said: 'He's not very good, is he?' Happy New Year to you all.