A Hard Winter Ahead?

Sunday evening we drove through some very sleety rain, and it was very cold with it! We're not used to thinking about snow in November any more, although a few decades ago it would have been unusual if we didn't have it. How times have changed. I remember the long winter months of my schooldays when we came home in the dark and the streets of the town, once we got off the school bus, were alive with lights and sparkle. Somehow it brought a little bit of magic to life! No matter that it was cold and the pavements were wet; that only accentuated the magic with the reflection of the lighted windows caught up in the pavement puddles.

Although my favourite season is Autumn with its rich colours, nevertheless I like the Winter as well, despite the cold that it brings. Nowadays we have the benefit of central heating which lets us get up in the morning to a nice warm home, but when I was a boy, living in a fairly large house with no central heating, it could be a cold affair! Throughout the Winter months there would be ice on the inside of the bedroom windows, and stepping out onto linoleum rather than carpet helped to make you get dressed even quicker than you might otherwise have done!

So, what is there to like about the Winter then? Well, like I said before, the sparkle of the lights adds a touch of magic to the dark to the darkness, but I especially love it once the Christmas lights go up and the great trees appear in towns and villages festooned with sparkle. Yes, dear reader, I LOVE CHRISTMAS with all its glitz and glitter!

Often I call to mind Christmas times from the past, when the wonder of coming down Christmas morning to see the decorated tree for the first time, or gazing up at the old-style lights with their scenes from Disney painted on them --- Snow White, Bambi, and all --- or simply sharing in the fun of making decorations with my mum and brothers and sisters still at home. I love the sound of carol singers bringing the news of the Saviour as they sing out familiar and favourite carols, plus a few new ones for the more 'professional' amongst them. I remember one particular Christmas-time in Wales about fifteen years ago, when carol singers came and stood under the street light in the centre of our tiny hamlet, (there was only about seven or eight houses altogether), and they sang their hearts out whilst the snow swirled about their heads. As soon as they finished singing they were called in to the houses to warm themselves up with a bit of heat from the fire for the outside and a warm toddy for the inside, accompanied of course by hot mincepies. These are the moments that make memories!

What about you, dear reader? Why not share your favourite memory of Winter or Christmas with me!