Kate’s Listography this week asks that we write about five things which make Christmas, Christmas for us. So …

King’s College Carols. The traditional service of Nine Lessons and Carols has been broadcast from King’s College Chapel, Cambridge on Christmas Eve afternoon since before I was born. There will be very few years when I’ve not heard it. For me this is the real start of the Christmas festivities and is always associated in my mind with the smell of baking mince pies!
Fairy Lights. There have to be fairy lights. As a very minimum fairy lights on the tree. But these days we usually indulge in a few more, depending on our fancy at the time. And I like to see twinkly lights anywhere and everywhere at Christmas. Somehow they bring out the spirit of happiness.

Royal Institution Lectures. Every year the Royal Institution in London puts on a series of science lectures for children (really aimed at young teenagers) and over the years just about every respected scientist in the UK has presented them. Each year is a different theme, by a single lecturer. And for many years now they have been televised; I remember some very early televised lectures by Prof. Eric Laithwaite on engineering! This year I’m delighted that they are once again being televised by the BBC; although they are now only three lectures (there used to be five or six) hopefully this means they will have been less dumbed down than of recent years when commercial TV has broadcast them.

Carols. I like carols. I always have done. Yes, I like a good sing, but I also have fond memories of singing carols in the choir at school and of carol singing. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas with out some good carol singing.

Opening presents round the fire on Christmas morning. This is a childhood tradition which Noreen and I have kept. Christmas morning sees us sitting round the fire, usually with a large gin & tonic, opening our main presents. Another present tradition from my childhood which we keep is having small (in size and value) presents under the tree which we open after tea on Christmas Day evening.

These are just some of the essential ingredients of my Christmas.