This weekend we did something different, something a little 'out of the box' for us - sometimes its good to shake things up a bit.

Today sees the last candle on the advent wreath being lit, just as we have slipped past the Winter Solstice...

Looking back to my experiences of Christmas as a child, there are things we still do today and others that got lost along the way...

In my youth, going to the sweet shop to buy a bar of chocolate or to select a bag of pick n mix sweets was much more of an event.

The lights, the music, the colours all combine to create a special atmosphere that I think feels a bit like being wrapped in a warm hug.

What Christmas tracks are your favourites? Music always has the ability to inspire, to connect, to bring joy and emotion.

This is a snapshot of a Christmas from my past... a simpler time perhaps but still valuing the same as today - family, fun and togetherness.

I am reminded of those childhood games and stories that the mud-pie making version of me would create.

When I think back in time, to my own childhood though, the first day of the summer holidays meant possibilities...