As long-time followers of this page will know, I share family photos here most Sundays of the year, and with Christmas almost upon us, how could I not feature a few yuletide-specific snaps today?!?

My son Dante has been a busy chap in the run-up to Christmas. First he was part of a show with the Musical Theatre group that he joined back in September, and was up on stage in a crowded hall singing some songs and dancing. This photo hails from that night.

Then he did two performances of Cinderella with his school. Yep, rather than just do a simple Nativity play, the school put on a full production of the Cinderella pantomime, with every student involved, and did a matinee and night-time show. It was an epic undertaking, but they pulled it off beautifully, and hearts everywhere melted a couple of numbers in, when the junior infants marched on, dressed as elves, for their song and dance routine.

Finally, although my daughter Gaia is too young for the stage this year, she turned up to support her big brother on both occasions, and this snapshot here was taken before we set off to watch him on the first night. One of Mrs Shan's friends commented that Gaia looks like a doll in this photo, which set me thinking that maybe I should give Mr Tall at the Cirque Du Freak a buzz and pitch him a new idea for his merchandise range... :-)

My latest Darren Dash novel for adults, the fast-paced and twist-packed noir thriller, Molls Like It Hot, is on sale though Amazon stores worldwide NOW, either as a paperback or ebook. To find out more, click here: www.darrendashbooks.com

My annual Christmas short story, SHANTA CLAUS, is back again on my website for the duration of the yuletide period -- read it swiftly before it vanishes into the internet ether for another year! https://www.darrenshan.com/extras