Today a Boxing Day tradition: go with another family to the skating rink outside Winchester Cathedral. This year, I got on the ice. You have to be accompanied by a responsible adult but that's it. Before we arrived, I searched online to see if there was any guidance - do you have your brakes on? should you use cross country tyres? - but couldn't find anything. I thought it was worth wearing a chest strap. Falling out on the ice could be a comedy moment for spectators, but trying to get back in would be impossible. So I felt a mix of anxiety and excitement.
Yet it was amazing! My friend luckily didn't have to do anything with or for me. I say "luckily" because he turned out to be a terrible skater, more likely to crash into me than assist. So I wheel beside the kids, slipping only if I turn the corners too sharply. Apparently, it's best when the ice has just been scraped flat and has a sheen of water. In those conditions, you can skid and slide. But I don't care. To be able to skate beside the children, help them up when they fall, applaud their tricks - it's my best Christmas present. I even go free.
