Childhood memories

In the run up to Christmas this year I am re-reading The Box of Delights by John Masefield. I remember watching the BBC adaptation as a child  and being utterly entranced. The desire to re-capture the feelings of wonderment that a child connects with Christmas gets stronger the more commercialised and diluted this season becomes. Christmas is where the story starts, so reading a children's book in which the landscape is wintery and covered in snow, somehow helps me to re-capture the hope of new beginnings where everything is pure white and magical, with a hint of the adventure to come.
The Box of Delights is also a classical tale of good versus evil, which perfectly reflects my sense that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting back to be heard above the clamour this year.
We did have a brief flurry of snow here this morning so I may yet be treated to the beautiful sight of snow covered fields and trees before the year is out.