Knowing what matters

When you have spent 38 Christmases with a person, you pretty well know what the hotspots of dissension and disappointment are going to be, so when they arise, you can take a few deep breaths and let your irritation seep away.

One such issue for us is the tree.

The issue for Dave - Where the hell are we going to put it?

The issue for Sue - Why can't you get it vertical?

Yesterday we brought in the tree. One of my favourite Christmas poems is The Christmas Life by Wendy Cope. It's not fair to quote living poets' work on the net (how are they expected to make a living?), but here is the beginning:

Bring in a tree, a young Norwegian spruce,

Bring hyacinths that rooted in the cold.

Bring winter jasmine as its buds unfold -

Bring the Christmas life into this house.

and the end:

Bring in a birth, of hope and love and light.

Bring the Christmas life into the house.