A Seasonal A-Z

You know me and my liking for A-Z lists… well, this year I decided to combine it with my liking for all things festive too 🙂

A is for mulled apple juice – a wonderful way to enjoy mulled spices without the alcohol. Not that I’ve anything against alcohol, but I just don’t drink much these days and I also get to miss the hangover this way 😉

B is for Boxing Day – that wonderful British practice whereby we get an extra day off to slob about eating left-overs. In our case, there will be no left overs this year, but we will still be slobbing about. I may even stay in my PJs…

C is for cards posted with Christmas stamps. I still send and receive a few, although the number dwindles each year. There was a significant nosedive after Covid, but I enjoy the process of picking out what to send and which charity to support.

D is for decorations of which I have too many. So on upcoming festive shopping trips, I may be handing my credit card into Himself’s custody, or the temptation will be too great!

E is for Christmas Eve. A tradition Himself and I have started for the night before Christmas is that we eat Scandinavian fare – things like gravadlax, caviar, crayfish, lingonberries, hasselback potatoes, beetroot and apple salad, saffron or cinnamon buns, apple cake, and gingerbread cookies. Himself also has herring, but I draw the line there.

F fa la la-ing… I have a good selection of Christmas music (although I never did track down that festive album by the Blind Boys of Alabama), and love hearing Christmas music when we do the grocery shop. Himself doesn’t love me singing along, though I sometimes find it hard to resist for I’m a fa la la-er 😉

G is for glass and gold and white. I’m drawn to a stripped back colour palate this year, with lots of greenery. It’s at this time of year that I miss my old garden with its proliferation of evergreen and holly.

H is for Ham, as I’m afraid that turkey doesn’t cut it for me as festive fare. It’s likely fish will be on the menu for Christmas Day at my daughters, but we will have a small Ham to enjoy once we’re home again on Boxing Day.

I is for In the Bleak Midwinter – one of my favourite carols. With Words from a poem by Christina Rosetti and music from Gustav Holst, it’s so simple and peaceful.

J is for jingle bells. I found a box of small white ceramic bells in a charity shop (thrift store) which came from one of my favourite shops. I’d seen them a couple of years before, but decided they were a bit too expensive (and I didn’t need them). But at a seriously knockdown price, how could I resist them? I am so looking forward to using them this year 🙂

K is for the feast of the Three Kings. Sadly my nativity set still only has one king, and having seen how much they cost, that’s how it’ll stay! I didn’t get the nativity set out last year, and missed it, so will be looking for a suitable new location this year.

L is for lots & lots of lovely lights – warm white by preference. I’ve got some strings of red and green too, but they may stay in the box due to my stripped back colour theme this year.

M is for mistletoe. Almost 20 years ago now, I went away with my sister to get over the ending of my long-term relationship. We stayed in a lovely cottage in Devon and while shopping – despite it being the height of summer – I found two strings of mistletoe lights. I’ll definitely be using them this year as they’ll provide both lots of warm white lights and gorgeous greenery.

N is for nuts. My Dad loved eating nuts at any time of year, but at Christmas time, he was never happier than sitting with his nut cracker and working his way through a big bowl of walnuts. Since his death, I’ve not been able to have them in the house – it might be time again.

O is for oh Christmas tree. I have the same faux tree which Himself came home with one day soon after we moved here. I’ve yet to get to grips with decorating it to my satisfaction, and I suspect that’s because I rush at it, knowing that Himself hates the chaos and clutter of Christmas decorating. But I am determined to work out how to take my time over getting it right, while also keeping the chaos at bay. Wish me luck!

P is for popcorn strings. Many years ago, my mother volunteered us (as she was wont to do) to decorate the tree in our local church. We were given absolutely no budget and no decorations, but a strict colour palate of purple, turquoise and white. Unable to afford lights, we strung that 8ft tree with popcorn, and I must say it was very effective. Each year, I’m a little bit tempted to try doing them again…

Q is for quizzes. Is it purely a British thing, the annual end of year quiz? Either way, it’s when I realise quite how much I missed of what’s been going on due to my refusal to read the papers!

R is for roast potatoes – those simply heavenly accompaniment for roasts of every kind. The traditional way to cook them over here is in goose fat, but I’m not a massive fan of that option.

S is for stockings to be filled with small but useful gifts, edibles, readables ‘n the like.

T is for trifle that oh so British pudding. I never used to be a fan, but Himself has been slowly and steadily converting me.

U is for presents under the tree – beautifully wrapped and be-ribboned, of course 😉 Although, that said, Himself and I have agreed that we’ve got to the stage where we don’t want or need things any more, so they may end up being empty boxes just wrapped for decoration this year…

V is for vintage decorations of which I have just the one. My ex left behind a small red bauble decorated with white glitter teardrops which belonged to his mother and grandmother before her. He hasn’t missed it (and trust me, he’d have asked) so each year, I’m reminded how much I miss them now they’re gone.

W is for wintry reading. I saved a list of cozy seasonal mysteries and detective fiction to dig in to for December.

X is for x-rated Christmas films. Although I’ve come to accept Die Hard as festive fare, I’m not sure how happy I’ll be watching a Bruce Willis film for a little while, so Himself will have to find us another offering. Jean Reno will probably feature, knowing him…

Y is for yule log. I don’t know if the chocolate yule log is a purely British practice, but it’s one I’ve never been taken with. I do like the idea of a real log though, and one year found a lovely twisted branch which I fixed above my desk and decorated. Unfortunately we’d no room to keep it in between times, but I’m going to see if I can find something suitable this year in the woods behind our apartment.

Z is for zero guilt about the festive food indulgence to come. I eat chocolate once a year – and this is that time of year 😀

As ever, I’ll be taking a bit of a blogging break now – so I wish you all a wonderful festive season however you celebrate, and may the New Year bring all you hope for.

© Debra Carey, 2023