A Christmas Carol: Christmas outings

You tick them off the list: tree, food, cards, presents… You are doing your level best to get into the mood, whether through crooners or candles. But what of the Christmas outing? Just what is a Christmas outing anyway? A trip that helps build the mood for you and your family? Or another reason to …

A Christmas Carol: Christmassy food

Weekly food shop today. Almost half-way into the month, and I don’t seem to have stocked up on any Christmas food yet. Now is the season to stockpile, surely? That’s what the supermarkets want us to think, of course. I know that the shelves go higher for Christmas, but they seem to have got fatter …

A Christmas Carol: wrapping presents

It’s one of those jobs. Some love it, others hate it, and some will volunteer in shopping centres to help others with it. Some people have to wait till their other half is out of the house to get underway. Others get underway with paper and tape when the kids are in bed. Wrapping presents …

A Christmas Carol: Christmas music

Sooner or later, you see, it draws you in. You may fight it – you may even choose to write about it, and take three different attempts to express it. Sooner or later, the Christmas music goes on. You find yourself hovering over the iPod, the CD rack, whatever your musical set-up. All of a …

A Christmas Carol: decorating the tree

There is a health warning that comes with writing about Christmas trees. I feel I need at least a couple of caveats to say who I am in writing this (and who I’m not): I’m not a Christmas tree decorator: fresh with new ideas and seasonal themes. (I quite like the odd blue tree, now …