Never mind the machinations that brought us here, we can be grateful that peace won out, especially when you cast your gaze to our neighbours in Mozambique or further afield to Georgia.

For as long as I can remember, my family has followed an annual Christmas Day tradition inspired by the long-running American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (my mom and sister were fans). A strange place to spark a Christmas tradition, but can you really choose your muse?

And so every Christmas Day, after lunch and before gifts are opened, one by one each person (even invited guests) is handed a bauble with their name on it to hang on the tree. Before doing so they must say a few words of thanks, reflect on the year that's been and cast forward to their hopes, dreams and prayers for the year ahead.

In the beginning, there was much grumbling - the shy wanted to avoid public speaking, the teenagers rolled their eyes and the younger kids were just about exploding at having to wait for presents.

Now, though, it is something we all look forward to. It's a moment to hear what our kin have navigated over the year and their future plans. Sometimes there are tears, but more often laughter and encouragement.

This got me thinking:...