Hello friends, it's the Christmas season once again and as you can see, we're all set for the holidays. It was hard to think up another theme for this year's card after the success of last year's super Incredible theme, but the untimely snowfall in London has put us in a Narnia mood ...

Nick was in Australia when he turned nineteen in May, celebrating away from the family for the first time.

He spent six months working in a boy's primary school in Melbourne, travelling around Australia and then, when the work finished, he went to New Zealand to do THIS:

He survived relatively unscathed from the bungy jumping, sky-diving, snowboarding and other extremes of Gap Year life ... RELATIVELY. He returned to us with a damaged cruciate ligament which required surgery. Unfortunately, the first operation was undone by literally a misstep, and Nick is going in for another operation before Christmas.

A Nick's eye view of his parents on the day of the surgery
in Manila to reconstruct his cruciate

Nick is now in his first year at Loughborough University, reading Sports Science and Geography, much missed by his siblings (although we are enjoying the fact that we never run out of milk or hot water).

Nick, Jack and Mia in Nick's room in Loughborough

Meanwhile, our cuddly Jack has quite unnecessarily turned 16. Ah well, more Jack to hug.

His musicianship is still amazing, especially his guitar playing - and he was thrilled to get on the stage at the Freedom Bar with Uncle Armand's ear-bending band when we visited Manila.

Though Jack was taller than everyone on stage he still
looked like a little boy

Jack is hoping to do Marine Biology in university and spent most of this year's holiday in Bohol under the waves getting acquainted with the wildlife and discovering underwater photography.

Jack (middle) with Richard (right) and Jonny,
Nick's gap buddy who came along to the Philippines

Mia, who turned 12 at the end of last August, is loving school at Channing - she's pictured right, in this winter's utterly brilliant school play, The Crucible.

She seems to be revelling in the company of girls - which is not unsurprising after years of being in Planet Boy, with her rambunctious brothers, a superhero for a Dad, and a Mum who is not the girliest of girls.

The big revelation is that Mia's got a Voice. She sang at our neighbourhood street party, three of Candy's book launches and surprised everyone at a Christmas piano concert by singing while accompanying herself on the piano. Wow, Mia!

Mia and cousin Nicole, singing at the Manila launch of Tall Story.
Photo by Ramon Sunico

We couldn't resist casting Richard as the White Witch's dwarf in this year's card. He probably wishes he was still Mister Incredible (see 2009's Christmas card above) ... though he's been pretty incredible anyway this year (... and fit! Golly is he fit!) - refereeing rugby games every weekend and cycling from Land's End to Twickenham (about 330 miles) on the Great British Bike Ride raising money for charity.

Richard and other participants of the Great British Bike Ride get a hero's welcome in Twickenham

Of course the event that has dominated the family's year is the publication of Candy's debut novel, Tall Story.

Having fun at the London book launch

It's been a nonstop whirlwind of book launches - Candy had one in London, one in Manila, one at the Philippine Embassy in London and then took part in a mass book launch to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. The whole family and extended family created a video to show at the book launch ...

The video's theme is family across the world - which is rather appropriate because it was assembled via the magic of the internet with the help of family and extended family. You can hear the audiences singing along on the soundtrack

Tall Story has been shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Prize, the Hillingdom Secondary Schools Book Prize and the Leeds Book Award. It has also been nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2011, UKLA children's book prize, and the Redbridge children's book prize.

At this rate, 2011 is going to be awesome.

And that, dear friends, was our year that was.

As you can see, it was a pretty magical one ... here's hoping that 2011 will bring many more great gifts to us all.

With much love in the season of light,

Richard, Candy, Nick, Jack and Mia

(all looking rather sun-kissed in this photo from Candy's Manila book launch)