So, here it is….Merry Christmas!

As I admired our Christmas tree handiwork and chomped on the first of many mince pies of the season, I, like many people this year, made a secret wish. Obviously, I can’t tell you what it was, or it won’t come true! I would love to share with you though, one of my many hopes for next Christmas in 2021….

I really hope people can share Christmas with each other in 2021 without fear of making others ill. Sharing festive traditions can be great fun and can really help to bring communities together. There are so many wonderful Christmas outdoor traditions which had to be cancelled during the winter months this year. Let’s hope that next Christmas will allow us to safely enjoy some of these wacky traditions in the great outdoors. I love the sound of these ones in particular, for the colder months of 2021…

• How about immersing yourself in a network of Winter Wonderland Caves in Valkenburg, in the southern tip of the Netherlands? You can shop for Christmas gifts and admire the beautiful nativity scenes in the candlelit caves underground.
• Or perhaps you fancy a little fright before Christmas? If you do, then you could take part in a Krampus procession in a city like Innsbruck in Austria. These demon-like figures with their long horns, frightening masks, iron chains and loud bells might be right up your street instead. The tradition dates originated in pre-Christian times and traditionally takes place in early December.
• You can always try out the International Hair Freezing Contest a little further afield in Yukon, Canada during the winter months! Participants in the contest dunk their heads in the hot water of the local pools and then create frosty hairdos by shaping their locks as they freeze in the cold air above. Temperatures in the area can reach below -30° Celsius at the time of the contest!
• Finally, how about a refreshing icy cold splash on New Year’s Day in the Firth of Forth in Scotland? This New Year’s Day swim isn’t for the faint hearted and braving the freezing waters of the North Sea is a real challenge! You can swim in fancy dress for charity which might spur you on to embrace those chilling temperatures!

Whatever you are up to this Christmas, I wish you all a happy one! Hopefully, you will have a very safe and very enjoyable Christmas this year wherever you live!