Conscious that this goes out on Christmas Eve, and no one probably wants to read emails, I’ll try and keep this short.
I hope for you that there are sofas so snuggle into, a good film or two to watch and maybe a hot chocolate with a slice of something nice on the side to nibble. *
December has become a tricky month for me to navigate. Work takes over my life, with the added pressure of Christmas in the mix. I’m struggling with the consumption. The unbridled consumerism that sits more and more uncomfortably for me. Fragmented family, combined with illness have put pay to gatherings for the past few years.
There are however two things that I have kept as traditions. At the time this email goes out at 3pm, I’ll be in the kitchen baking. On the radio will be the Christmas Eve carol service from King’s College, Cambridge.
In my teens I had a Saturday job in Cambridge. My best friend was a porter’s daughter (not of King’s but another college). It was the mid 1980s and somehow we had access to pretty much anywhere in the University. If you remember scenes from His Dark Materials and Lyra and Roger scrambling over college roofs in their version of Oxford - that was me and my friend in Cambridge.
In the late Autumn we would often find ourselves sneaking into King’s College Chapel. I can remember the mist rising over the meadows as the sun went down as we made our way across the river. We would eavesdrop on the rehearsals of the carol service. It used to send shivers down my spine, and still does.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
The other tradition is a trip to see a winter lights display. The first one I remember going to was at Kew Gardens in 2005. Over recent years, these displays have become more and more common. I adore them, they fill me with such joy.
There was winter lights on my list, just to ensure that it did happen again this year.
On Friday night, I went with a group of friends to Wrest Park in Bedfordshire. If you need some Christmas sparkle, even for just a few minutes, then do watch below.
*There are plans afoot for Lady and the Tramp on Boxing Day, while we doggysit for friends.
Excellent Boxing Day plans - Merry Christmas x