End of year cheer

Living in the Northern Hemisphere, we have all come to accept that the days and nights at either end of the year are long and cold and very dark. And that, of course, is why we Scots have earned ourselves such a reputation for self-reliance when it comes to entertaining ourselves.

Just think of the clichés: snow covered mountains, log fires, the ceilidhs, the accordion music, Scottish country dancing, the drams, and all of those quaint Hogmanay traditions – first footing, lumps of coal, pieces of silver, bannocks and tall dark strangers.

I was thinking about all of this as I contemplated the range of celebratory events scheduled to take place over December and January, and I have to confess that I am perhaps a trifle biased. Since I live in the heart of Scotland's capital, I have a view of the floodlit Edinburgh Castle from my window. On the midnight hour of December 30th, I don't even have to get out of my chair to join in the street party.

Last year, alas, the stormy weather put paid to a full sky of pyrotechnics, but it hardly mattered. My particular group of companions simply consoled themselves with a second after dinner bottle of Islay single malt and, as could have been predicted, did not depart until dawn. It was as all such occasions ought to be: a mix of old friends, lively conversation, ample sustenance, adequate libation and shared affection.

The week before that, on Christmas Eve, my immediate family had assembled, as has been our custom for years, at the ...

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• By : Roddy Martine
• In : Roddy Martine's World
• Issue : 36
• Page : 7
• Words : 762