Traditionally, people used to put up their trees and decorations on the first day of Advent, which is marked on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. That would have been November 30 this year. However, these days, most people start decorating and put the Christmas tree up on the first weekend in December. It is even known as the ‘Big Tree-kend’. This year, however, I have noticed that loads of people have ‘gone early’ – lots of trees are already up (and some have been for quite a while) and lots of houses are already festooned with outdoor lights and decorations. Apparently these keen decorators are known as ‘Christmas Creepers’.

You probably won’t be surprised to read that I have built a dry stone Christmas tree at the cottage (and decorated it with solar lights and a solar star). It was much harder than it looks and therefore, I can’t see it ‘catching on’ any time soon, but there are lots of other Christmas trends, apparently.

Whilst the classic Christmas colours of red and green will always be popular, this year’s trend for the festive decorations is for ‘bold colour palettes,’ such as emerald green, rich ruby red and sapphire blue – all highlighted with metallic accents of copper, silver and gold for a striking contrast.

The minimalist trend continues to influence Christmas décor, with people interpreting it as ‘simplicity and elegance’. Neutral options of whites, creams, and soft greys for decorations are now popular, providing a calm and cohesive look that won’t date either. Gone are the paper chains made in primary school and sticky-taped from ceiling corner to corner of a room.

Vintage-inspired decorations have made a comeback over the last couple of years, with retro ornaments and classic patterns bringing a sense of nostalgia to the season. People are choosing charity shops for recycled shiny glass baubles, kitschy figures, and textiles. Apparently these remind people of Christmases past. They need those paper chains to do that.

Of course, nature-inspired decorations continue to be popular with nature-lovers. It’s a great excuse to bring the outdoors in, using greenery, foliage, berries and pine cones to decorate. If you need an excuse, that is.

And while the ‘Christmas Creepers’ are already concentrating on festivities and festive food, I have been concentrating on soup. It’s underrated. Especially at this time of year.

One of the many things I love about soup making is that it suits my style of cooking. You pretty much take whatever veg is available and edible, put it all in a big pan and cook. And then blend well. Then, eat for tea and put in flask for work for the next ‘how-ever-many days’. Every soup I make – without exception - has loads of garlic, ginger and chilli in it. These three ingredients make anything taste good and obviously have excellent health benefits too.

And I have a few soup-ah tips: adding coconut cream will give any soup a Thai twist. You can add cheese to all soup – as you would Cawl. Leeks make a good base for all soups. Add mint and lemon to ‘some’ soups for a Morrocan-esque dish. Adding lentils or beans (butter, black or mixed) or chickpeas will make the soup go further – all week in fact. You can add them before you blend or after. How versatile is that? Adding rice or pasta will also make you feel that you are eating a completely new dish – but don’t blend them.

When my hens are laying well, I also add poached eggs to a bowl of ‘appropriate’ soup – but don’t blend them either.