Snowed Under!
It’s that time of year when we are supposed to be all organised and prepared for the season of celebration. Well, I am not. I am snowed under in all meanings of the phrase (other than the real snow - yet).
Over the last couple of months I have been madly researching and practicing several collections of stories for different performances and events. Some of them are related to my storytelling apprenticeship and others to my paid performances that, along with my casual work at the libraries, help to support us now that I am not teaching. Don’t get me wrong. I love all of these activities and my other ‘social commitments’ including visiting relatives from overseas. But with the winter weather closing in and the days getting so short, I am finding it harder to motivate myself beyond cooking comfort food and a hot cup of something, or reading a book while wrapped in a cosy blanket.
Ahh, those books and stories! New babies under bright stars with choirs of angels, shepherds and talking animals, wise men and old babushkas, robins with their evergreen friends, over indulged Santas and hungry mice, crackling frost gods, snow babies that come alive, white bears and trolls, winter demons and spirits of the long dark nights!
Something about winter tales and fables really appeals to me and the darker, the better. So many of our Christmas traditions and celebrations are drawn from more ancient myths, superstitions and pagan customs focused on the darkness of winter, the struggle to make it through the shortest day of the year and the hope for a lighter and warmer spring. I think it is the link to these origins that appeals to me. Having grown up in the tropics of sunny Queensland, Australia, I didn’t truly appreciate that need for reassurance that the dark existence will eventually give way to warmer, lighter days and the return of spring. However, having lived in the UK now for 25years and totally acclimatised, these stories and customs resonate with me. I love the cold winter, the starkness of the bare trees and patterns of frost on the windows and grass. But by January I am longing for a little less grey and bit more warmth from that weak, washed out sun.
So until then, I will indulge in stories, good food and drink and plenty of decorations. Well, once I get them out of the loft.
Happy winter reading and celebrations.
Here’s my current Christmas reading:
The Truth About Christmas by Philip Ardagh
Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterston
The Book of Christmas by Christopher Winn
Chicken Soup for the Soul: It’s Christmas by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Amy Newmark
A London Christmas by Marina Cantacuzino