Here comes Christmas

We Three Kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar.

Field and fountain, moor and mountain

Following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of night

Star of royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Well, Christmas has arrived again at Oak Tree Drive, after what seems to have been a mere five minutes since last year.  There's not an awful lot new this time around - after all, Christmas is about tradition, memory, and the revisiting of timeless classics - and so it's the usual tree decorations and nutcrackers, which always fill my heart with festive joy.  I did, however, pick these two little gems up in Exeter recently.

It seems that Christmas started very early this year - the first Sunday of Advent fell on its earliest possible day, and with the general poor state of the world in recent months, it appears that people are embracing the festive life with all of their hearts.  We're probably the same as everybody else - this is a time to reflect on the many good things we have, to discover cheer and rebuff the adversity of the cold months, and to search out kindness - kindness to each other, our family and our neighbours, as well as kindness to all the wild residents with whom we share our home - the robins and the wrens, the gold crests and the wagtails, who are receiving big handfuls of seeds, peanuts and mealworms to see then safely through to spring.  Let us not forget the garden at this time of year, where the odd treat still warms the soul - the skimmia, the ever green ferns, the cyclamen, the appearance of helleborus niger - the Christmas Rose - and the knowledge that under every pile of sticks, and snuggled deep into the compost bin, there will be numerous frogs, the odd toad, and the sleeping slow worm.

Meanwhile back inside, a Yankee Candle wafts its cosy winter scent throughout the house, its flame flickering gently in the soft darkness, the undeniable smell of Christmas for me.  The curtains are drawn, the night is shut away, and the simple pleasures - to eat a hearty stew together, or to sit and read a book by lamplight - prevail.  Home is wonderful at this time of year.