A Seasonal Greeting 2016

Season's Greetings 2016 

1. Traditional decorated Christmas tree (December 2016)
'The Rum Story' courtyard, Whitehaven 

2. Thirlmere in the English Lake District (December 2016)
A source of fresh drinking water and timber
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  "Dear Christmas, here you are after such a long time

  It's been a whole year 

  That I've waited for you." 

  ............................................ 

  Translation of a traditional French Christmas greeting: 

  Cher Noël, voici bien longtemps 

  Tout juste un an 

  Que je t'attends

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For many hundreds of years the darkness of winter has been lightened up by decorating greenery and lighting candles. Even during the Second World War an effort would be made to decorate homes with greenery and if possible a tree although perhaps not as decorative as the one seen in photograph No. 1. Even in these darkest of times there remained places where timber was felled for the war effort, such as near Thirlmere (photograph No. 2) which also provided an essential fresh water supply for Manchester and district.