Henley's Living Advent Calendar

I realized something today--I never want to leave Henley. The people are kind, the town is charming, and everything is just a short walk away. Even better, Henley hosts its very own "Living Advent Calendar" every year! Starting December 1st, a real door in Henley is opened each night, revealing a special performance treat and counting down one day closer to Christmas. We missed last night's big reveal because we got home late from London, but the kids and I were able to walk out and meet Stegen at the Henley Fire Station (Door #2) tonight. About 40 people gathered around to watch as door number two opened and the firefighters of Henley performed a comedic rescue to pull Santa out of a tight chimney. 

The best thing about living in a small town is running into people you know just about everywhere.  We got to chat with some of the school governors and discovered that we've been walking right by their front door almost everyday. People walked around serving sausage rolls and mini mince pies (delicious!), and Santa even met with the kids afterwards to pass out presents from his bag. Here are Dorian and Audrey with one of the firefighters:

What was in the package? Children's books about fire safety!

 Aside from waiting anxiously for the our first living advent experience, Audrey had a great day at school while Dorian and I tried to figure out the healthcare system. Back home, depending on which insurance provider you had, you were likely given a list of "in-network" doctors to choose from. Within the network, you could choose a pediatrician for the kids and you'd more than likely (well, hopefully) get an appointment either right away or within a couple of days. 

Here, the process is a little different. There is no dedicated pediatrician, but rather, you register at a surgery center (sounds scary), and a General Practitioner (GP) is assigned to the entire family. You're usually given an appointment to see your GP about a week out. There are two surgery centers in Henley and strangely, they're situated with their front doors facing each other. Dorian and I visited both and decided to go with The Bell Surgery Center--hopefully we'll never actually have to have "surgery" there!

If you'd like to follow along with our Henley-on-Thames Living Advent Calendar adventures, you can check out the full program here!