My personal selection of the best bits of Christmas. A couple of deliberate omissions: the incarnation of Jesus, but that is Christmas, rather than being a good thing about Christmas. And snow, because while snow is great it more often than not comes separately from Christmas.
So, here we go, in no special order:
1) Tinsel I love the sparkliness of tinsel, especially in low light, the softness of it when you run it through your fingers, and the smell when you take it out of the box from last year. Nothing else smells like tinsel, and tinsel smells of Christmas!
2) Christmas Food – and far too much of it, usually, but it’s great to have an excuse to eat lovely scrummy fattening food like chocolate logs and roast potatoes. And sherry is a funny one. I would never drink it at any other time of year, but somehow at Christmas it’s just right.
3) Carols I wait every year for the carols to start! I love singing them in parts or hearing them sung in parts, I love caroling out in the cold and warm, crowded, candlelit carol services. I love the words and even the silly bits you know aren’t accurate, like the fact that “snow had fallen, snow on snow”. Poetic licence is just fine at Christmas.
4) Presents Not just receiving (although that’s good) but giving them too. When you’ve paid attention and you get it right, the look on people’s faces is brilliant. And wrapping presents is fun, and so is tearing off the wrapping. And then using all your new things as soon as possible. Generally good in every way.
5) Christmas Spirit – by which I mean people being nice to each other. It’s not just a myth, people really are kinder at Christmas (although it tends to be towards strangers rather than family!). Strangers smile at each other, wish each other well and help each other out when they are in need, and there is generally a good deal more peace on earth and goodwill towards men.
None of your bah humbug here!
K C Murdarasi 
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