I’ve always been a sucker for tradition. I love the different opportunities for traditions that this time of year brings: the carved pumpkins, fireworks displays, toffee apples and *whispers* run up to Christmas.

The thing is, I am time poor. Not only that, but I have rosy ideas of how something will be that often leave me disappointed. Take last year, for example. I had a beautiful image of spending a cosy afternoon sitting around the log fire and carving pumpkins with my (then) two year old. In my head, we would peacefully create something pretty to be displayed in the window, complete with gently flickering candle.  Continue reading »