Christmas is coming!

As the Christmas Countdown ticks down I’ve been making my own online advent calendar and thinking about ways that the internet can get you in the spirit of the season.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. The Christmas feast is a central part of the celebration and sites like the BBC’s Christmas recipes are sure to bring you inspiration. Christmas with Delia Online looks set yet again to be the quintessential guide to Christmas food. If, however, you fancy something different this year how about trying some medieval Tourteletes in fryture (fig pies with honey) decorated with Snow, adding some of Provence’s 13 Desserts of Christmas to your table or toasting your loved ones with a traditional Wassail. One thing I definitely won’t be serving is Greenland’s Mattak! I’ll stick with the turkey ... and won’t forget to use British Turkey’s calculator to make sure that it’s thoroughly defrosted and cooked.

Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Get out and enjoy the special atmosphere at Winchester’s own Christmas market—don’t forget to book your tickets for the ice-rink. Give your children a taste of an old-fashioned Christmas at the traditional Father Christmas Grotto in the old station at Milestones Museum. If you want to go further afield, find inspiration for Christmas trips on visitEngland or the Rough Guides.

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. Nothing evokes the season’s spirit more quickly than the sound of Christmas music. For music of every description YouTube is the place to go, from the plethora of Christmas playlists to the ethereal voices of our own Cathedral choir singing Silent Night. On Christmas Eve, I’m going to light the fire, turn on the Christmas lights and listen to radiosantaclaus.com!

Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow. I love to share the magic of Christmas with the children—telling the Nativity story, learning surprising facts about Christmas or just playing games together. And it’s such a treat to see their faces as they receive a personalised letter from Father Christmas or, as the big day gets closer, they watch Santa’s Christmas Eve progress on the Official NORAD Santa Tracker.

Merry Christmas to you!

  Ann Jury

I originally wrote this article for the Winter 2014 Edition of the BFOBRCA's Community News.