When is it okay to start talking about Christmas? Are you rolling your eyes? Is it less irritating if I am talking about Christmas food?

I spotted Christmas mince pies in the bakery this morning and almost did a double take I couldn’t believe the year was vanishing so fast. Which month are we in? November, check. Once I got my head around the slippery, silvery nature of time (I didn’t really, I still don’t believe it) I wondered if it was too early to start slugging down Christmas mince pies. I love these tiny, spiced, icing sugar dusted pretties. My Mum made them every year in teeny weeny muffin tins, a star shaped lid on each pie.

In truth I had already started day-dreaming about Christmas mince pies after buying this book for the girls. It is written and illustrated in the style of Beatrix Potter and is about Benjamin and Peter Rabbit saving a pompous turkey from his Christmas dinner fate. I love Beatrix Potter but Emma Thompson (author and super famous actor) & Eleanor  Taylor (illustrator) have done such a great job this might be one of my favourite Chrissy books for kids ever. It’s just that charming. At the beginning of the tale Peter Rabbit gets in trouble for knocking over a bowl of Mrs Rabbit’s mincemeat and is ordered out to his Aunt’s to fetch suet…. Suet? I had to look it up… which started a bit of a Christmas mince pie information investigation. Did you know that the pies were supposed to contain thirteen ingredients representative of Christ and his 12 Apostles and some say that if you eat one every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night (6th January) you will have good luck / happiness for the next 12 months? So, what if you start eating one every day from mid-November to Twelfth Night? Hmm. Now that I know what suet is I am guessing you get an extra five kilos to be dismayed about during February??

Boo.

Ahh, I’m unlikely to be discouraged. I love all things spiced fruit so Christmas food is an irreparable weakness for me. I have serious trouble turning down Christmas pudding and Christmas cake too. Speaking of which and considering the weird nature of time, can you believe I wrote this a year ago? (Still a great Chrissy cake recipe, thanks Mum).

How do you feel about Christmas food? Any Christmas rituals you start too early with, ahem, a little too much enthusiasm??

HUGS, Hannah x

P.S. My brave friend, Zoe Daniel, whom I interviewed here for “How She Does It” is currently returning from devastated Philippines. I know it’s the job of this blog to bring you a little joy and light and food-love but seeing as you have met her I thought you might want to know where she has been and what she has been up to. She has had a very challenging job these past few weeks. ABC, her employer, have listed these charities to support if you would like to donate to recovery efforts.