Welcome to the weekend, if you're reading this in-and-around GMT in 2021. If you're playing along at home, you'll have seen the festive centre-piece that today's blog title recalls...

There will doubtless be lengthy discussion of Christmas music here on this blog, particularly as December grows long and we’ve rambled many a ramble already, but suffice to say, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (especially the wonderful and terrible Mel Smith/Kim Wilde version for me, and the Brenda Lee version for Fay) is a firm favourite in the IFG studio aka our house. Check back on previous days for a lovely animated gif of our tree getting rocked around. 

In Germany, where we lived at the behest of a Japanese/Italian plumber for a decade or so, real Christmas trees are far, far more common than the synthetic robo-trees that are favoured in our native England. We also had a real fireplace back then, and after Christmas would snaffle up our neighbours' discarded trees to fuel our cozy fire-side Monster Hunter sessions. Because forest fires are frankly terrifying, pine needles catch fire like wow due to all the super-flammable sap (which in itself sounds like something you might harvest in Monster Hunter) and are amazing for starting and maintaining a good fire. And they smell nice too.

Our tuxedo-cat-lad Cosmos in particular loves the fire, and will sit in front of a 10 Hours of Crackling Logs Fireplace Vibes Youtube video mesmerised and chill in a way that I can only imagine and deeply envy. I have my suspicions, that the fire might not be the key element, but rather being Fay's omnipresent shadow. Cosmos is a man of wealth and taste though, and sitting next to a fire, real or digital, alongside Fay is definitely one of the finer things in life.

These days, with no bougie fireplace to call our own, we harness the generosity of our lovely new neighbours to gift us their discarded trees after Xmas and chop them up for al fresco winter marshmallow toasting sessions in our rusty chiminea. One thing I love about this season is how willing it makes people (or at least, how willing it makes me) to enjoy outdoor activities wrapped up in a million layers of thermal multi-coats: Defying and embracing the elements simultaneously is all part of the fun.

Do you have any freezing, shivering-but-having- ball outdoor Winter traditions? Tell us all about them!

See you tomorrow friends,

Imaginary Friends Games

(This relentless word-vomit obviously characteristic of Martyn.)