Even if you think you know the 'Twelve days of Christmas' song, I bet like me you forget some of the later gifts. Are there twelve drummers drumming, or eleven? Should there be ten pipers piping, or is that lords a-leaping? And so on.
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While Christmas markets are a feature of the Advent season in many countries these days, Germany is where it all began. There have been markets held here at this time of year since the late Middle Ages.
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We came to Cologne because of a football match (Bayer Leverkusen v Newcastle in the Champions League) but you can't visit this city in December without taking in the Christmas markets.
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I may be biased but I do think London does Christmas rather well. From the lights in the West End to light trails in some of our most beautiful parks and gardens, from shop window displays to those in people’s homes … from late November the whole city starts to take on a festive air.
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When I was (much) younger I used to marvel at older people saying how quickly time passed, but now I see that they were right! It’s hard to believe that another year is over, when it seems as if it’s barely begun!
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After a busy September, October and November (Paris / Chicago / Madagascar / Paris) it was rather pleasant to have a quieter month. Not that I’ve been doing nothing!
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Nothing says Christmas quite like an abundance of colourful lights. Whether on your tree at home, adorning the exterior of houses or an official display, they lift the spirits and set the mood for a joyful festival. For those of many religions, or none, such displays symbolise the triumph of light over darkness, bringing warmth and hope during the winter season.
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Red and green should never be seen without a colour in between. Whoever coined that old phrase clearly didn’t have Christmas in mind. Surely there are no two more seasonal colours than red and green?
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Although we love to travel, we have always spent Christmas at home in England. Not for us the snowy ski slopes of the Alps, or the tropical shores of the Caribbean or Far East. Tempting as the latter sound, we save trips to warmer climes for February, when the long chilly season is really dragging. Christmas is a time for the comforts of home, and for family.
