In this Christmas shopping list of an episode, Dara has a look at the festive season through the lens of Christmases past. He also considers the pressure people are put under to partake of all things yule.
He reads two seasonal poems, one from Robert Louis Stevenson and one from Robert Frost, both of which evoke something bucolic and poignant.
He also includes a Christmas story he wrote last year that tries to capture the innocence and wonder of a small child immersed in a very busy adult Christmas experience.
The episode was beset with technical and animal interruptions which threatened to derail it completely. You may detect a note or two of distraction as things proceed…