Introducing Daughter of Claus

My next seasonal notebook, running throughout December.

At the beginning of October when I signed off with my reflections on Leaves of Poetry, I had these visions of being able to complete a first draft of my next seasonal notebook by the end of the month so, by the time I wrote to you today to introduce it, I would be looking ahead to a month of editing rather than writing before I published the first entry on the first day of December.

Alas, this did not happen. Life has been Happening at quite the speed this last month.

And yet, there’s something poetic about this, as Life hasn’t really been Happening any quicker than usual. And, when I thought about it, that sense of being caught in the whirlwind of what I find my life is now is partly one reason for choosing my next theme.

Perhaps predictably for my first December seasonal notebook, my next theme is Christmas in all its glory. I have always unashamedly loved Christmas, even when it is perhaps unfashionable to do so. It may seem curious to refer to enjoying Christmas as unfashionable, being as it is a religious and cultural event, but it periodically seems that way, what with the media ever trying to find ways to rile people up. Every now and then, commissioned, tedious thinkpieces surface bemoaning and rejecting the traditions of the season. Some of these focus on criticism of its role as a religious festival, as if its very existence offends those of other faiths or none (certainly something I haven’t found to be the case for those with whom I have discussed this); and some of these focus on criticism of an increasingly commercial interpretation of Christmas, as if this isn’t something we can choose to reject ourselves in many ways.

I am sure these approaches seem valid to (some of) those who write and share them. But, my view of Christmas does not fit their mould. I adore the season, and respect Christmas as a broad, cultural event in all its mad and messy glory.

And so to Life Happening. Taking an autoethnographic approach to my experiences and memories of Christmas seems increasingly important to me, as my life is indeed changing, and changing me. How I think of certain traditions now - how I even remember them - has changed from even just a few years ago, as my own concept of family life has changed and I, and we, reshape Christmas (and other animals) round ourselves. I want to capture how I remember and engage with Christmas now, so I have these thoughts to refer back to in years to come. I also want to capture it for my children, so they have this as a record. And, importantly, I want to share this with you all, in the hope that you, too, share your own memories and traditions, should you so wish.

Finally, why Daughter of Claus? Well, if you met my father - the inimitable Keith Crow - you wouldn’t need to ask. Around this time of year, young children start to stare excitedly at him across the street. One woman who worked in a local bank once practically chased him down the street to ask if he might have any inclination at all about making a seasonal appearance in branch (a story which, perhaps, I may have embellished - but not by much). I am proud to be a Daughter of Claus (there are five of us, and one Son of Claus), and to be mother myself to two out of three Granddaughters of Claus. And I hope that, throughout the month of December, you’ll join me in sharing a little festive cheer as I consider what Christmas as a season means to me.

I’ll see you all on the first of December.

Lydia Crow
The Highlands, Scotland