She was a whole month off. Around the end of November each year, my four-year-old would ask the same question. Which evening will the choir come to sing carols? It wasn’t till an entire month after that the Salvation Army choristers gathered in our garden. But in that excited baby head the Christmas countdown started as soon as the air turned crispy cool and her nursery pantomime got ready to be rehearsed.

Meher Marfatia