#QueerLitLoft

I make absolutely no apologies for the title of this post…blame my wife…who started singing the lyrics from this song earlier today and now, well I can’t banish it from my internal soundtrack.

Anyhow, there is book related stuff in here somewhere, I promise.

But before we get to that, let’s set the scene.

My wife is currently out at her work’s Christmas meal, which leaves me at home where I’m very content to be. I’m currently sat on our rather comfy sofa, with a little ginger furchild snugged up at one side of me, twinkling tree lights (and every other festive light) dancing away, watching a dubbed Italian film called The Legend of the Christmas Witch; and yes it’s as daft as you probably imagine it to be. But I like tacky Christmas films, in fact I love everything to do with the festive season.

It’s my favourite time of the year – with some caveats; I don’t like the busyness of everywhere, the crowds, the traffic, the commercialization of it all. But I do love the bittersweet nostalgia of Christmases gone by, the ‘traditions’ both new and old, and I’m very grateful to have a wife who allows me to run amok with it all from mid-November onwards.

We have a lot of ‘traditions’ in our house, some I’ve done since I was kid and introduced my wife to; stockings on Christmas Eve, no-one allowed downstairs without the other person on Christmas Day morning, and only after excitedly exclaiming ‘He’s been!!’. Others we’ve created together: wandering Christmas markets, visiting light trails, collecting tree decorations from nearly every place we travel to, a takeaway on Christmas Eve so no-one has to cook (not least my wife as it’s her birthday).

And there’s my own ‘traditions’ like sitting in the dark with just the Christmas tree lights on and buying a Christmas tv magazine – even though I could just google what’s on!

And then last year I added another ‘tradition’: the re-reading of Home for the Holidays by Erin Zak. I knew as soon as I finished it for the first time last year, that this would be a story I’d reach for every festive season. It’s such an awesome story that just expels a happy holidays sentiment. I really love that elements of the book are focused on the connection between family and friends, and those activities you do again and again each and every Christmas, whether it’s sledging in the snow, Home Alone movie marathons, or attending your town’s Christmas light switch on. The story is set in the immediate few days before, during, and after Christmas Day and I’ve purposely left it until a similar timeframe in real life, before picking it up to re-read because it all just adds to the magic doesn’t it!

What are your go to Christmas traditions or non-traditions? Any favourite stories that your reach for year after year during the festive season?