It’s now early December, a glowing time of year. I’m finding it ridiculously easy to take my joy these days, and I hope you all are embracing the season in your own big or little ways. Our Christmas season is always pretty chilled out – my family and friends have never really gone overboard, which makes everything a bit more sane.

So these days, I’m taking my joy from:

• Christmas lights and decorated shop windows – in Leeds city centre, in Chapel Allerton, any other town or city I’ve visited lately has been filled with festive fun and has my heart brimming. Bonus points for the rare snowfall in quaint, charming Knaresborough last week.
• Indulging my inner kid with a chocolate advent calendar. So far I haven’t jumped ahead. So far.
• A bit late to the party on this one, but This is Us has me hooked. All the feels!
• Spotify’s Christmas Classics playlist – just a nice mix of the Christmas songs you didn’t know you wanted to hear.
• Victorian Christmas at Harewood House – this was a beautiful day out, made even more fun by sharing the day with good friends, surprisingly mild, occasionally sunny weather, and the wisdom to visit on a quiet Monday morning.