Tag Archives: christmas
Yuletide
There are things you can’t tell other people – or only just a few people, perhaps: that you love the time of year when nights are long. That you long for the moment, at around four o’clock, when you watch the … Continue reading
Christmas Eve
“Once in Royal David’s City Stood a lowly cattle shed”. I hold my breath. I always find myself holding my breath for the minute or so between the BBC Radio 4 announcer’s voice falling silent and the chorister getting to … Continue reading
The Secret of Winter
When winter envelops you in its embrace, the only place you can look is within. Summer makes you look outwards. It entertains you with a spectacle of colours, intoxicates you with its heady, floral scents, dazzles you with its bright … Continue reading
There’s no Santa Claus but…
Tamsin wrote the letter with her favourite pen. The blue and gold one she had got for her birthday. She formed all the letters carefully, so Santa Claus would be able to read her handwriting. Her grandmother said good children … Continue reading
Winter and the Art of Waiting – and Trusting
One of my recurring nightmares is missing Christmas. When I am under intense stress and feel like I am losing control of my life, I start dreaming that, somehow or other, I’ve overslept, miscalculated the dates, forgot to look at … Continue reading
Yes
A sea of people rushes forth as soon as the traffic lights turn green. A faceless crowd all looking down as they stride. I dodge them to avoid collision. I try in vain to catch someone – anyone’s – eye. A man’s … Continue reading
Odds & Ends: Christmas Eve (Claws Sheathed – Promise!)
My Russian-Armenian grandmother celebrated on Christmas Eve. That was when she served the special dinner, after which presents were unwrapped. Christmas Eve was also full of mystery and magic. It was when Gogol’s witch flew out on her broomstick, plucking … Continue reading