Be that as it may, it's my favourite time of year. This festival that is, in theory at least, about kindness and kinship. Peace and goodwill to all men (damn that sentence for just scanning better that way). Halfway out of the dark.
For those friends who celebrate some kind of midwinter thing, Christmas-shaped or otherwise, and are, like me and my little clan, in the midst of preparations, I want to share some things.
My favourite Christmas recipe: these vegetarian 'sausage rolls'. Carnivores, don't be put off by the v-word, these are better than most actual sausage rolls. They are spiced herby cheesy goodness. I make them every year to eat while unwrapping presents.
Two great things from Autostraddle: DIY last-minute gifts and DIY wrapping ideas. I love doing home-made wrapping so much; my own usual thing is to get a newspaper, make potato stamps of stars and trees, and have at it, but there are some even cooler ideas in the link.
And via comments in that second Autostraddle article, I now know about Furoshiki. I am going to try wrapping my sister's presents in this way!
A game: Flap the Kipper. A family tradition is to gather on Boxing Day night, and everyone has to bring a game for the rest to play. The silliest, and therefore best, game is Flap the Kipper, in which everyone gets a kipper-shaped piece of newspaper, and races to flap it across the room - by waving another bit of newspaper, or one's hands, or whatever, at it; the important thing is the kipper must not be touched. As good when you're 25 and drunk on champagne as it is when you're 5 and drunk on plain old Christmas.
For seasonal reading, here is a fun story about the privatisation of Christmas by China Miéville (it's pretty silly, and yet seems a lot less hyperbolic after this year's Olympics copyright shenanigans): 'Tis the Season
And a wish that I'm borrowing from Greg Lake, for anyone who wants it:
I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
May all anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart; let your road be clear
What are your favourite Christmas/winter recipes/stories/songs/traditions/things?
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