Twelve Plus One Tiger Christmas Tales: Part 1

Advent and the Twelve Days of Christmas

Grinch Alert: This post and the ones to follow is all about Christmas. Proceed with caution!

Most humans love to fill their lives with traditions and stories - whether they’re passed on from ancestors, great grandparents, or new creations. Stories about how things came to be the way they are or about significant events and how we remember them. Consider any dinner party and you’ll find it stays alive through an exchange of stories – picking up an element from one and adding your own story containing said element. The conversation often lands up in a complete different place to where it started without someone having drastically altered the direction.

One particular story filled to the brim with traditions, and growing variants every time it comes around, is the story of how Christmas came to be. From the pagan solstice festivals, Yule logs and gifts, to the birth of Jesus, Midnight Mass and turkeys; Christmas has become a jolly old mix of religions and cultures, as well as the cause for much controversy, cheer and charity.

It’s the cheer and charity of it I'll be focusing on in Twelve Plus One Tiger Christmas Tales from now until the 5^th of January, also known as the Twelfth Day of Christmas.

I’ve Started a Book Club: Part Two

Harry Danced Divinely… and he ate and he drank wine

Not quite, but almost a month ago, I hosted a book club at my house in the hope that it would inspire a group of interesting ladies to read and also give them a real excuse to get to together for a fattening meal.

“I’ve started a book club”

Say that at any worthy social gathering and you’re sure to get at least one envious response, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to be part of a book club.”

The trouble usually is there aren’t enough interesting people who are interested.