Francesca and Elaine take a quick break from work and festive preparations to wish you all best wishes for the season.
Elaine: The trees are decorated. Presents are wrapped. Lights are flickering inside and outside many 
homes, bringing smiles to everyone who sees them. We often hear that Christmas starts earlier every year, but any excuse to go out for a meal, a drink, a dance and we are there.
My presents are bought and wrapped, but it may surprise you to know I haven’t put my tree up or displayed any decorations. I refuse every year to let Christmas begin until the last weekend before the 25th. My four-year-old grandson will be round on the 19th to decorate the tree and help place my wonderful trashy ornaments. Christmas songs will be playing and when that is done, we will make the mince pies. The seasonal excitement begins and before I turn into a big child I remember the people who won’t be with me this year. Whatever Father Christmas brings you this year, I hope it is accompanied with good health and lots of love.
Have a wonderfully joyous Christmas and may 2016 be a successful and peaceful year for you.
Francesca: Here are a few things I like about Christmas…
Family:
Children…
Grandchildren…
…and great-grandchildren!
Celebrating:
Love and laughter
Good times with friends
Silliness!
Ghosts of Christmas Past:
In this case, 1968
All these are good elements for a Christmas story. And talking of Christmases past…
My favourite Christmas book:
This was given to me by my husband’s first step father, in 1983. It was his tradition to read it every Christmas. Since he was terminally ill, he passed the tradition onto me. I don’t manage it every year, but it has been read a lot.
“…and it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”
A Happy Christmas to you all and a peaceful New Year.
Write Minds 
Thank you, Elaine and Francesca. Such a lovely Christmassy blog. Despite some Scrooge like tendencies, there are certain rituals I like to keep: yesterday a trip to Ightham Mote to see the Victorian and New England decorations, and a walk in the grounds to note so many, unseasonal, signs of Spring, tomorrow a candlelit Carol Service at the tiny and ancient Nurstead Church and on Boxing Day a long walk by the sea, and I always read’ A child’s Christmas in Wales’ by Dylan Thomas and a suitable Christmas poem, such as ‘Journey of the Magi by T.S.Eliot, and the carols from Kings while I do something inefficient in the kitchen! Nadolig Llawen.
Thank you Angela, I think we all have our own traditions. I do love the traditional carols and the family time. It’s a day that we take out of our busy lives to spend time together. Enjoy your Christmas and have a wonderful 2016. Elaine x
I like to visit Ightham Mote at Christmas as well, Angela. It has such a lovely atmosphere. And you’ve reminded me to get my copy of A Child’s Christmas in Wales down off the shelf. Nadolig Llawen to you also. xx