This is my Botswanan nativity,
Sculpted with great creativity,
By a skilful loving hand,
In what used to be called Bechuanaland.
The carving is simple, even austere,
But the intention extremely clear,
That this should be a timeless piece,
No artifice and no caprice,
Nothing high-blown, nothing glib,
Just a simple group around a crib…

The 26th of December,
Is known as Boxing Day,
Because that is when British bosses,
Chose to give a Christmas Box away.

It is celebrated all over the Commonwealth,
In SA, Aus, New Zealand and Malta,
But elsewhere in Europe and Ireland,
The appellation alters.

In Ireland it is named for St Stephen,
But in Europe as the 2nd Christmas Day.
Whatever it’s called, this tradition,
Survives from Roman times to this day.

So this is my very first Christmas
With the families Field and King,
They do things with style, with a laugh and a smile,
And lashings of everything.

There’s a tree in the corner all covered in stuff,
With tinsel and shed loads of lights,
And placed round the tree, with a strange symmetry,
Those presents that please and delight.

They all really know how to entertain,
They really are the hosts with the most.
There’s bound to be ham and who knows, chilli jam,
And we might give the Queen the odd toast.

I know there’ll be smoked mackerel pate,
Because that’s always a palpable hit.
Enough will be made to feed a brigade,
And more, if supplies will permit.

And what of the Christmas Turkey?
This bird died in a very good cause,
It has every trimming, and none of it slimming,
And should be consumed with aplomb and applause!

After eating that beast, in this marvellous feast,
And the hours simply flying on by,
Without more ado, we’ll down a champagne or two,
And spread brandy butter upon that mince pie.

At Christmas, I like to go foraging,
For a healthy ivy and holly tree,
A home isn’t the same without it,
To bring a festive reverie!
I drape the mantelpiece with it,
So it is camouflaged in green,
Then add my hand carved Botswanan wood pieces,
Of a traditional nativity scene!

My darling makes a mean mulled wine. Here is my take on it!

A very large jug will come in handy,
Then heat some wine and bottles of Brandy,
On top of your trusty kitchen stove
With an orange studded with more than one clove.
Then add in some orange and lemon peel
And orange juice with quite some zeal.
A cinnamon stick, some allspice too,
Will make for a gorgeous warming brew.
Now you will need some star anise,
And now just taste for expertise.
Then sugar’s needed and stacks of ginger,
To give a taste that is sure to linger.
Now ladle it into a warmed up cup,
Don’t be shy now, just drink up!

Are you the kind of person,
Who simply votes with your feet,
When hearing tinny in-store music,
That is both ersatz and effete.
Or are you – like my beloved,
A lover of seasonal melodies,
The more saccharine and upbeat the better,
And served with shed loads of cheese!
I am doomed to a diet of Wizzard and Slade,
Happily, also to Phil Spector and Bing,
And the truth is – I’m afraid I admit it,
I can’t help myself, I join in and sing!

“Lace your boots tightly to give you support,
Your ankles will buckle if not tightly caught!
Now relax as you move and try not to feel fraught!”

So said my mother, as I attempted the ice,
It was sensible, practical, mindful advice,
But it didn’t stop me being on my back in a trice!

I’d simply no rhythm when learning to skate,
My technique was quite open to reproof and debate,
I couldn’t do circles, I couldn’t go straight!

My coordination, or lack of, was quite unforeseen,
My attempts at a ‘glide’ were frankly obscene,
And no, I would never be a Torvill or Dean!

How exactly is tinsel defined?
As a fabric that is quite refined,
Silk or wool with threads of gold,
That’s what it was in days of old,

Tinsel now is a metallic sheet really fine,
That gives an effect of sparkle, a cheap, cheerful shine,
A simple way to brighten your Christmas tree,
With trails of colour that are bright and carefree,

It is defined as showy, with little real worth,
But it will raise a broad smile and cause you mirth.
So huzzah for the tinsel that is wound round my tree,
It makes me feel happy and want to make some whoopee!

It’s hard for the naked eye to see,
But a snowflake displays a symmetry,
Each one created by branch selection,
Built around one small imperfection,
That creates a singular ice physique,
And makes each snowflake quite unique. href=”https://carofieldauthor.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/macrosnow-2.jpeg”>
The life of a snowflake entails evaporation of the water vapour from seas, lakes, rivers, plants, even you, when you exhale! If you take that air and cool it down, it will eventually condense, as dew if it is near the ground, as snow, if it is way up high. Snow-forming clouds are just conglomerations of liquid water droplets, until the temperature drops to about -10º C (14º F) and then the droplets gradually start to freeze, as described above.

A snow crystal, that may be round, will attract material to it, because it is rough, but then there may also be a number of facets that are smoother and so accumulate material much more slowly. After all the rough surfaces have grown out, only the slower-growing facet surfaces remain, to create the snowflake. A snowflake is, most commonly, a hexagonal prism in shape. This, in turn can either be plate-like (or flat), or columnar, depending on which facet surfaces grow the quickest.

When snowflakes are just baby flakes, they tend to just be these hexagonal prisms, but as they mature and grow, branches grow out from the corners to create more intricate and complex shapes. This perfection, is, like so many things in this world, created from imperfection. Snowflake branching occurs because in order for water vapour to attach to the ice crystal, it has to diffuse through the air. If it finds a spot on the crystal with a tiny protuberance, it does not have to travel so far through the air to condense, so it tends to concentrate itself around and grow quicker at that particular spot…creating a branch. Then that branch in turn may have minor imperfections, so the process repeats itself. The result is an exquisite structure…unique to itself, because no 2 ice crystals will have lumps and bumps in the same spot. Cool physics, huh?

Since childhood (when I learned) I’ve loved to ski,
What a great way of getting from A to B,
You glide down the mountain so effortlessly,
And land at the bottom in a clump!

To do so you must master a simple skill,
To get you to the top of that tempting hill,
The T-bar or pommel lift – both a bit of a pill,
If you don’t, you’ll come down with a bump!

You’ll be a speed monster, or, like me a style freak,
Either way you need to concentrate quite hard on technique,
And believe me, you’ll feel the wind chill upon your cheek,
As you bravely attempt that first jump!