Christmas is coming. . . . .

Last Sunday was "Stir Up Sunday", the last Sunday before Advent. Excita, quæsumus, Domine. . . began the traditional collect and "Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord. . ." went the collect in the old prayer book. Time to stir up the ingredients for the Christmas pudding since The Day is now only a month away and a good pudding takes time. My aunt used to make a very good pudding and my mother-in-law an absolutely outstanding one. Alas, Aunt Anne is long dead and Rosie died just last spring. We shall have to rely on store-bought as neither Mary nor I seem to have acquired the talent. If you're in southern California, a fairly tolerable one can be had from the Irish Import Shop in Hollywood -- if you steam it properly.