Tis that time of year

As the song says, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” Or maybe I should say, look, smell and sound a lot like Christmas.

When I come in from the cold I’m greeted by chocolatey smells from my housemate’s mega cookiethon and the The Little Drummer Boy “da da-da dums” from the CD-Player on the kitchen table.

The tree is half decorated in the living room and the candle, longer and thicker than my forearm, is surrounded by pine cones on the coffee table.

It is dark earlier and earlier as we head to the longest night when I will bring in a piece of evergreen to honour the year that is dying and to welcome the year to come.

Outside the wind is blowing, but inside, inside...well inside it is warm.