OK, so I know I've got far too many fics on the go at the moment , but I've had this planned for ages so I'm going to go ahead with it anyway :) This is basically going to be an advent calendar, but with a chapter a day until Christmas instead of a chocolate (though you can have a virtual one of those too! ) and a big Christmas day chapter at the end :) The chapters do form one main story but are a series of shorter, separate but connected episodes, if that makes sense.

I know not everyone is going to be able to read a chapter every day so I won't be offended if you read a few chapters every few days instead. Though I would like to ask you to find the time to drop me a review when you have a reading session to let me know you're reading and (hopefully) enjoying :) I have just over a week's worth of chapters written at the moment, so if you want this to continue then you're going to have to review and keep me motivated :P

Hope you enjoy- and one last thing: for those of you reading my Lighthouse series, sorry it's been really neglected, had awful writer's block with it but got it sorted now, so expect an update this evening :) And to those of you reading Salty tears, expect an update along with tomorrow's advent chapter! See what I mean about having way too many things on the go? :P

Till tomorrow,

Love Flossie xxx

Christmas Countdown

Harry's Diary

Sunday 1st December 2019

-9.33am

"Daddy?"

"Yes darling?"

"This clue's rubbish."

Charming. Kids are so ungrateful these days. Today being December the first, thousands of children across country will be opening the first window on their Dairy Milk advent calendars and eating woefully predictable chunks of chocolate, the only vaguely exciting part being whether it's shaped like a snowflake or a Christmas tree. Tried that for the last two years; boring boring boring. Plus 8 year old in question is notoriously picky about chocolate. So this year, fiancé and I decided to jazz things up a bit by making own advent calendar for daughter, treasure-hunt style with 2 clues leading to chocolate/sweets/whatever can find in cupboard, and this is what we get for it. Don't know why we bother.

"Oi! I'll have you know that your mother and I spent over an hour planning this for you, Josi! And anyway… how do you know that clue's one of mine?"

Is giving me exasperating look; very, very difficult not to laugh when given by 8 year old still in pyjamas. "Because the handwriting's terrible and it's a huge great paper snowflake with 'Big open space, low down,' written slap bang in the middle in tiny messy writing. And slightly smudged."

Fair cop, Gov. Can see Nikki raising eyebrows over top of newspaper on opposite side of breakfast table, is clearly not impressed with my contribution to treasure hunt. It's her own fault. If she hadn't claimed all the good hiding places for her own clues and prizes before darling partner had even finished cutting out his first paper snowflake, I might have had a chance of coming up with something half-decent. Think must have left imagination behind in primary school.

"Fine, fine, it's one of mine. But it's a perfectly good clue, Josi; you just need to put some effort in! Now come on, where is there a big open space around here?"

Looks confused now; screwing up nose the way Nikki does when particularly tricky case has her mystified. "But there isn't one. That's why Hayley the estate agent keeps bringing people round here to see if they like our apartment and you keep dragging me around stranger's houses, and… and I have to keep tidying my bedroom." Life from 8 year old perspective really is fascinating; the strangest things seem to stick in their minds.

"OK, so we don't have a big open space in our apartment. But where is there a big open space?"

"Hallway?"

"There you go, see. Big open space, low down. Off you go!"

Is skipping off towards front door now in still in short short pyjamas and bright yellow bumblebee slippers- hope the neighbours are having mega-long lie in in this morning. Am very, very proud of location of clue number 2; have a feeling Josi is going to be down there a long time.

"Harry? Where exactly did you hide her clue?"

"Ah, now that, Nikki Alexander, would be telling. You'll see."

Looks sceptical now. "You have remembered that she's only 8? And not very tall?"

"Hey, 'low down', remember? She'll be fine." Ohhh, think Nikki's reached the property part of the newspaper. "Anything good?"

"Hmm…" Is spreading the newspaper across the table now, turning it round. "Possibly. Hang on, listen to this: 'this well presented three bedroom house…' oh no, wait, it hasn't got a garden."

"Oh well, worth a try." House hunting is turning out to be bloody nightmare, think we might have picked wrong time of year to start looking. No one with a nice house wants to even think about moving this close to Christmas. "Anything else within our price range, with a garden, at least 3 bedrooms, in a nice part of London and reasonably close to the Lyell Centre and half decent secondary schools?"

Is sighing now as turning page, will take that as a 'most likely not, but I'm going to continue looking and depress myself anyway.' "I'll let you know. But don't get your hopes up, though, Harry, I think this is turning into mission impossible."

Think house hunting is stressing Nikki out somewhat; need to teach her to relax. Maybe should book her a day at the spa for Christmas, as is now only a frightening 24 days away. Maybe should start thinking about Christmas presents, full stop. And change subject before Nikki goes into one of her 'we-are-never-going-to-find-appropriate-house-and-will-be-stuck-on-property-ladder-forever-more' rants/panics.

"Hey, we'll find something. Though I am starting to wonder if perhaps we should call off the house hunting until after Christmas."

"Could we?" Almost sounds pleading, is definitely getting far too stressed out over trying to find new house.

"Nikki, of course we could. Look, the build-up to Christmas is hectic enough as it is and we're not even going to be here for half of it, there's no point adding to the stress with house hunting when we've got a perfectly good apartment for the time being. If Hayley the estate agent phones with something at a convenient time then we'll go and see it, but we stop actively looking ourselves. Deal?"

"Deal." Looks somewhat relieved, now leaning across breakfast table. Looks even more beautiful in the mornings. "I love you."

"Love you too." Tastes of cherries and vanilla. Hmm… except now she's pulling away, frowning.

"Is Josi not back from your treasure hunt yet?"

Oops, perhaps clue was slightly harder to find than previously thought. Or perhaps the cleaners have been in since placed it in top secret hiding place last night? Uh oh, better go and find out. Can just imagine look on Nikki's face if first clue on advent treasure hunt has been swept up by the cleaners.

"I'll be back in a minute, Niks, OK? I'm just going to… check up on her."

-9.26am

Oh dear, looks like Josi still hunting for clue. Although does seem to have gotten the right idea; is shuffling across floor on hands and knees, examining tiles with determined, slightly disapproving look on face. Must say, was very proud of camouflage on this one; who knew you could get black post-its? Think they might have been Halloween special edition that Smiths couldn't shift.

"Daddy, are all your clues going to be this hard to find? Because if so, then I think I'm going to be late for school tomorrow."

How on earth does she come up with these things? Is Sunday morning on first day of advent, whole unstructured day spread out before her and promise of chocolate later and somehow Josi has managed to turn it into thoughts of school. Strange, strange child.

"I think I probably did make this one too difficult, didn't I darling? Sorry. You're on the right lines though."

"I know, Mrs Barlow told me. She said she saw you sticking something square and black to one of the floor tiles last night, but she couldn't remember where about on the floor."

Damn. Have been defeated in treasure hunt clue hiding, not by Joycelin, but by 80-something year old OAP from the ground floor flat. Nothing ever gets past that woman, despite her being practically deaf and on waiting list for hip replacement. On both hips. Woman should set up her own private investigation service, No1 Ladies Detective Agency style. Would probably make millions.

"Ohhh, Dad, I've got it!" Love how excited kids get over this sort of thing, is almost enough to make wish was 8 years old again. Life was simple aged 8; only had to worry about finding miniature chocolate bar on advent mornings, not looming threat of meeting with Home Office tomorrow, re, next year's budget. Kill me now.

"Have you?" Yep, she's got it, is now peeling special edition black postit off floor tile. "Ohhh, very good. Right, what's next?" Have hidden actual chocolate in house, so no chance of help from Detective Mabel Barlow of ground floor flat.

"It says, 'somewhere warm but not dangerous.'" Is blinking up at me now. "Daddy, these clues are really unimaginative!"

"Well, tell you what, next year you can come up with a treasure hunt for Mummy and me, OK? Maybe then you'll realize how difficult it is!"

Is giggling now. "You're right, I'm sorry. I mean, it must be difficult to come up with treasure hunt clues this bad!"

"Oi, you! Get on with it, or I'll have the chocolate!" Wouldn't eat the chocolate under any circumstances, is nasty South African stuff provided by Grandma, but Joycelin doesn't know that. Doesn't know that Daddy wouldn't eat her chocolate, not that is nasty. Daughter has awful taste in chocolate, thinks South African Nestle is nicer than galaxy bars, which refuses to eat. Am still trying to work out where I went wrong.

"OK, I'm thinking! Hang on… Dad, 'somewhere warm but not dangerous' wouldn't happen to be the airing cupboard, would it?"

Wow, for an 8 year old she's pretty quick. Thought she'd at least try the toaster before she noticed the 'not dangerous' bit. Trust me, toasters can be lethal in wrong hands.

"No comment. You'll have to go and look!"

"That means yes, doesn't it? Umm, Daddy? You do know what happens to chocolate when you put it 'somewhere warm', don't you?"

Oh shit.