CHRISTMAS HOW YOU LIKE IT

My first Christmas Day on Lanzarote dawned bright and sunny, so after the usual Christmas morning stuff I headed to the beach for a swim. It was glorious and every Christmas since, you’ll find me splashing about happily with the fishes. That’s the thing about Christmas traditions – you can make them yourself. Every family that spends Christmas together has its own little routines and rituals that they’ll follow year in, year out. Every Christmas, in every home, is different.

Here on Lanzarote, you have endless opportunities to invent your own Christmas traditions, or enjoy the ones that already exist here. It’s a relaxed holiday, with very little of the frantic urgency that you find elsewhere. And, most importantly, you can celebrate it exactly how you like. Many of us also have a tradition of helping others at Christmas, and that selfless commitment is something that’s needed more than ever as Lanzarote struggles to its feet after what has been a rough old year.

It started in fear, as Covid cases rocketed and Lanzarote was placed under the strictest measures that any of the Canary islands has ever seen. Later, we saw neighbours on La Palma lose everything, as we gazed at unforgettable images of volcanic destruction. But there’s also been hope. The vaccine programme on the Canaries was a triumph that allowed us to start to live normal lives again, and tourism – the life blood of the island – has been improving steadily.

Recent weeks have shown us that we may not be quite out of the woods yet, but we’re in a far more hopeful situation than we were 12 months ago and surely that deserves a toast. Here at Gazette Life, we’d also like to thank all the clients who’ve supported us through the most difficult times we’ve known, as well as all the friends, contributors and readers who make this magazine worth all the hard work. And talking of that hard work, let me, as Editor, raise a glass to my colleagues Judith, Arlene, Bev, César, Sabrina and Shay, whose dedication, talent, patience and humour amazes me every month. What a team!

A Happy Christmas and fantastic, fulfilling New Year to everybody!