the gifts

Good morning, all visitors to the House of Stories. I hope you're enjoy Christmas and Christmas is enjoying you. If it isn't working out well for you - is there anything you can change?

On Christmas morning Tony gave me the DVD of my favourite ever film, Local Hero, and the most beautiful little necklace of a ladybird on an autumn leaf because he'd seen me admiring it at a market stall. (You can see it if you put 'ladybird and leaf' or 'hedgerow designs shropshire' into a search engine). And chocolates! It can't get better than this, I thought, and how wrong I was.

Weeks ago, I told my children that I would like my presents from them to be

charity shop, or

home made, or

under a fiver (that's about nine dollars, I think)

When we'd been to church, done coffee with the Sunshines, and were sharing presents, I unwrapped the most beautiful little hedgehog. He is standing on his hind legs, looking up, and looks happy and trusting. He reminded me of somebody.

'He's just like Hope,' I said.

'He is Hope,' said LYS. Hope, the brave, sweet-natured little hedgehog from Mistmantle, and a great favourite with LYS. LYS had crafted him painstakingly for me and I never knew that he could do things like that. I don't think he did, either.

Every Christmas I transform a windowsill into an enchanted forest with Killiecrankie, the little rocking horse, galloping through it. It has holly and red ribbons, and now Hope is in there too, exchanging stories with Killiecrankie.

So now the House of Stories is also the House of Hope. He is such a treasure.

Thank you, sweetheart.