I hear them talk about Christmas on TV, but it seems like one of those ill-timed Christmas Special re-runs that you watch accidentally during the summer holidays.

A few days ago I talked to my sister on the phone and told her that my flat doesn’t seem festive. The next day I got a package from Amazon and opened it to find a string of snowflake twinkle lights. I hung them around my window and it looks like a college dorm room. Most of the time it’s hard to remember what month it is. My mother-in-law mentioned it will soon be winter solstice and I tried to correct her thinking it must be Spring.

At Curfew House we have a tradition of putting a wreath on our front door. I tried to order one online but it’s impossible to find one the right size so Richard made a special trip to Costco with his mum to seek one out. I got texts as they pushed their oversized trolley through the warehouse. Finally I received one related to the wreath: “Sorry no wreaths this year.”

The next week my mother-in-law video called me from a garden centre. “Shannon they have the most gorgeous wreaths here.” She gave me a virtual tour and I picked one with dried oranges and feathers, the right size to fill our front door.

The next morning she texted me at 7 am. “Do you like the wreath?” I texted back that I hadn’t seen it yet. The view from my window doesn’t extend that far.