I have always loved Christmas. My birthday is in early December and it has always been as if one celebration merged seamlessly into the next. Church services are central for me. When I was a child, Christmas was a four day extravaganza as there were five of us, my maternal grandparents and my aunt, uncle and their two children, who are almost exactly the same age as my brother and me. My sister is a little younger. We seemed to have plenty of presents without being over the top and the food was fantastic. The best part, though, was the party games. Such fun. We continued in this vein with my parents, my children and my sister’s family for many years until, inevitably, the children grew up and we have no grandchildren yet. These days, our Christmases are much quieter but we will still enjoy the day. We play board games rather than party games but still have fun. As a musician, I have always loved playing Christmas music and teaching carols and Christmas songs to my pupils. Today, I was starting Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire with a pupil - we have to start in early November in order to have a good repertoire ready for Christmas.
