My guide to a merry, merry Christmas!

So to get in the spirit of the season and review a specific wine, I thought I would give you a rundown of how Christmas Day could/may/probably will pan out from a wine perspective; while at the same time perhaps giving some tips on how you could enhance your festive celebration.
Breakfast: Champagne breakfast to kickoff the day and nothing says Merry Christmas better than bacon and eggs on the BBQ and a bottle of Champagne. Pol Roger being the one we have for special occasions. 
Pre-Lunch: You can never go wrong with bubbles to begin the Christmas feast and for us, it is with a sparkling shiraz. Not only can you start with it but it goes well with turkey and ham during the main. Gartlemann Wines consistently do a very good sparkling shiraz so I dare say two bottles will be in our fridge.
Lunch: If you are starting with seafood, semillon is the way to go which goes down especially well with some fresh prawns, oysters or even a lobster tail slightly charred on the BBQ. Margan Wines will be the likely starter at our place. From there, a shiraz with the lamb, ham or curry then graduating straight to the Cabernet Sauvignon. We discovered on our recent trip to the Hunter the 2008 Calcare Cabernet Sauvignon from Pepper Tree. I guarantee it will take you one sip to become a fan.
Dessert: Hard choice but the options will be either a Botrytis Semillon with the christmas pudding or a Suckling Pig Shiraz from Piggs Peake with some chocolate...but who I am kidding? We will have both! 

Here we are. Christmas time again and before we know it, 2012 is here rather than being a title of a dodgy disaster movie. Anyway, I thought that seeing that this would be the last post for the year I would give you (as my Christmas present to you) the ten lessons/realisations that I have arrived at this year. 

In general, these came to me like a lightning strike as I sat on one of CityRail's finest en route to or from work and while all have a particular relevance to me, some are easily in the category of 'something there for all of us'. I will let you decide which ones are which. 

1. The last time I was excited about a piece of technology was the HP 9000 K-Class Unix server - and that was only because I thought it would be a great idea to gut the inside and turn the shell into a bar fridge! However, the iPad2 has won me over. My life has changed forever and more importantly, it makes way cooler than I would be without it (admittedly, I am starting off a low base).   

2. I am convinced that there is a conspiracy that some of my favourite things are getting smaller as I get older. Toobs, Iced Vo Vo's and Wagon Wheels are key examples. Tell me I am wrong!  

3. While there is still conjecture about a tree falling in a forest, I have decided that if you make a statement in cyberspace, someone will hear. I know this to be true as I am always pleasantly surprised when someone will tell me that they have read and in some cases enjoyed reading this blog. Same can be said for Twitter. In fact, I am still not sure what has been the biggest thrill; having Melissa Doyle retweet me or having a small yet meaningful twitter conversation with Kristina Keneally.

4. I did not leave my heart in San Francisco but have left it in New York. It was truly amazing and we hardly scratched the surface on what it could offer. We will be back but in the interim, I get my NYC fix via the New York Times (on the iPad of course) and the Yankees! 

5. When I started my working life, I heard stories of how things slowed down on the approach to Christmas and that it was all centred around parties, drinks and general merriment. I have yet to experience such a phenomenon. 

6. While I have resigned myself to staying in the 80's when it comes to my musical tastes, I have to admit here on this blog that I am, in fact a fan of Katy Perry. She is truly a musical genius and 'Firework' is close to my favourite song. 

7. I knew that after the retirements of Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, MacGill, Martyn, Langer, Hayden etc that the Australian Cricket team was starting a lean patch which could mirror the one that took place in the mid 80's...why is the rest of the country only realising this now? 

8. And while we are on the subject of cricket, why is there this sudden hysteria around 20/20 cricket? I now fully understand what it may have been like when World Series Cricket started in the late 70's. In short, while the players still want to play test cricket it will remain an integral part of the game.  

9. It is true what they say about from little things, big things grow. Seeing the success of Little Ballerinas and the rewards that have come as a result of all the hard work that Trish has put in has been the highlight of the year. While it has been just the first year and there is much more to happen, I am so proud of what she has achieved and am excited of what 2012 will bring. 

10. While it is terribly cliched and it is something that gets said around this time of year...every year, it is true that there is nothing more important than family and friends. And to paraphase my good friend Roy, everything else is froth and bubble.

So to you and yours, all the best for the festive season. May you enjoy the time with your family and friends and I hope that 2012 brings you all that you wish for...not to mention spending it drinking some good wine. See you in the new year. 

Cheers!