Chat 09-Dec-2021

It’s nearly Christmas – but you probably don’t need me to tell you that. Anyone else already finding bits of sticky tape everywhere, feeling scared to check their bank balance and hearing Michael Bublé in their dreams? Well, our huge bumper issue of Chat is here to give you back a bit of me-time. Grab yourself a hot choc (or mulled wine!), curl up under a blanket and get stuck into 90 pages of shocking real life and true crime plus Christmas feasts, party looks, gift ideas, tips, health, puzzles, prizes and a bit of festive fun. Stay safe, well and merry!…

£25 for any photos that we use on Picture Perfect. They must not have been sent to any other publication and you must include written permission from a child’s parent/s or guardian/s. Post to Picture Perfect, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, or email chat_magazine@futurenet.com Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a SAE. And please don’t forget to include your full address and a contact number.…

Beth Grimes, 33, Chester Our double buggy teetered with gifts as me and my husband Ian carefully lifted it from the train onto the platform. ‘It’s got more presents than Santa’s sleigh,’ I chuckled, stifling a yawn. It was 8pm on Christmas Eve 2019. After visiting relatives, Ian, then 39, and I were keen to get home. But bouncing excitedly, our kids Penny, then 4, and Casper, 2, showed no signs of flagging. Even Rufus, then 20-months, just visible under piles of glittery paper, was still babbling away. ‘Will we see Rudolph?’ Penny grinned. ‘You never know,’ I smiled. Out on the street, we started the 10-minute walk home, when I spotted a couple rowing in a bus shelter. Wanting to get the kids to bed, I paid little attention. We’ve still got presents to wrap, I thought, sighing. But then…

NUMBER JIG Shelly Woods won the women’s wheelchair event at the Great North Run in 2021, completing the half-marathon course in how many seconds? Fit these numbers into the grid. One number doesn’t fit. This is the prize answer. 3 digits 215 321 337 367 374 506 621 771 786 961 4 digits 1557 1892 2549 3179 3421 3550 4594 5155 7402 7697 8776 5 digits 11139 11219 27127 27130 27323 29302 40093 67255 87876 88867 90703 98032 6 digits 157825 180650 540129 559336 809979 892448 966045 7 digits 3439194 6871917 9793155 8 digits 39618738 WIN £250 Puzzle 1 Your answer PIECEWORD What unit of measurement was once referred to as a ‘cycle per second’? The number next to the clue tells you which line the answer’s in. We’ve put a section in to start you off! There may be two Across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves in. The shaded squares spell out the one-word prize answer. ACROSS 1 Born To _ Jive, song from Grease • Unattractive 3 Pay part of the cost 5 Standard golf score • Venomous snake 7 Residents of a place 9 Unfasten • Daybreak WIN…

Asleep on the job My Oliver, then 3 months, was so busy being Santa’s little helper over Christmas 2014, he nodded off in his bouncer for a long nap. He’s now 7, and will be tearing round the house with big bro James, 9! Sarah Haselwood, Oxted Twinning Meet my identical baby girls Abby and Beth, aged 8 months on Christmas Day 1998. I brought them up alone, and they loved dressing the same when they were little. Now 23, Abby is a biochemist and Beth a London paramedic. Claire Hattrick, Andover Littlest elf Rocco, then 7 months, had his first nibble of Christmas dinner back in 2018. He and big sis, Ruby, 6, are now busy writing to Santa, with a bit of help from Raphael, 8 months! Beci Wood, Watford Early gift Leo, now 5, was due on…

Kelly Ferreira, 34, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire Excited gasps filled the living room as my eldest three scrabbled under the tree for presents. ‘He’s beeeeen!’ Ebony, 4, cried to Callum, 7, and Jessica, 6. ‘Who wants to help Romeo open his gifts?’ my fiancé Leandro asked. Our newborn was immune to the pandemonium, snoozing in my arms. Bless the others, though, they were all desperate to involve him, volunteering to open his gifts from Santa. ‘Look!’ Jessica said, showing Romeo the soft motorbike toy she’d pulled from the shiny paper. Watching the scene, I thought forward a couple of years, to when Romeo would be in the scrum with his brother and sisters. It was Christmas 2016, and Leandro and I had been together for four years. Wedding plans had gone on hold when I fell pregnant. Leandro was a great…