Being from South Africa, it is not uncommon to find many people celebrating Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day) on the beach. The weather in the Southern Hemisphere is usually decidedly warm, and spending a long day of relaxation at the seaside sounds like a great idea. Before spending my first Christmas in the UK, I had no idea that people around these parts do something similar.
Did you know?
In an event called the Boxing Day Dip people all over Europe brave the cold weather and water, and take a dip in the frigid sea - in fancy dress costume, no less - as part of a charity fundraiser.
They say "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", so we went to the beach today. Not for a Boxing Day Dip though! It turns out those who don't do the Boxing Day Dip do more of a Boxing Day Costal Walk, so that's what we opted for.
Late this morning we head out to Wells, a picturesque kind of port village, on the northern coast of Norfolk. It was pretty chilly and misty out, so even though we were dressed pretty warmly, we didn't head onto the actual beach. Rather we hung around the little harbour area before heading to the local arcade centre. It was the first time we were all out together: the Webers, Tim's girlfriend, and us, and we had a good time competing against each other and the machines, all collecting tickets for the kids to get a nice momento. And they did! Between them they managed to exchange their tickets for a Rubik's Cube, two Spiderman bouncy balls, and a bottle of bubbles each.
Of course, by the time we were done there, it was getting dark, and although we'd promised the boys some ice cream (they've asked every day), we could not find an open cafe. So we head home - to do the other Boxing Day tradition: eat left over roast and trifle! No one complained.
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