November… The month of planning and Post-It-noting recipes and list-making and ordering and steamy kitchens and making ahead, wrapping and freezing. But apart from that it’s the month of thinking who you could invite to share your festive table, to give your guests plenty of time to plan and look forward (anticipation has a key role to play, after all).
I’ve never been more aware of how vital it is to make people feel they belong. Families aren’t just blood relations – they’re those who make you feel joined to them with something potentially richer than shared DNA; people who make inclusion a habit. Tom Barlow’s piece on p98 is a timely reminder that if you’re not part of any celebrations, outside can feel arctic – but then the joy when the front door opens, laughter and smells of roasting crispy stuff waft out and you’re drawn over the threshold into the glow. Let’s all do our bit to spread that glow.