Happy festivities! So what does Christmas mean to you?

Christmas is such a mish-mash of different ideas and symbolism. What's yours made of?

There are robins and snowflakes, Christmas puddings and turkey roast dinners, and mince pies that we only eat at this time of year. Tons of sticky, rich, fruity Christmas pudding are consumed across the land. Plenty of people detest Brussels sprouts but plough through them anyway because it's a tradition.

There are ribbons, bells and holly, stars, mistletoe, sleigh bells, church bells and Christmas trees, baubles, illuminations, tinsel, fairies, snowmen and flashing LED lights. We dress up in sparkly stuff and wear tasteless Xmas jumpers with a jolly sense of irony. People across the land fret about what Secret Santa gifts to buy for their colleagues. We go to work parties and wake up the next day hoping we weren't too drunk or embarrassing.

There are elves and reindeer and Santa - who is also called Saint Nick or Father Christmas – the large, red-clad beardy man who climbs down chimneys to deliver gifts. At any other time of year, if we found out that a strange man was about to climb down the chimney we'd call the police ;)

We shop 'til we drop, we make great effort to be joyful whether we feel joyous or not, we spread the love and we exchange gifts. We share good wishes, send ecards and actual cards, and gather together after undertaking long and complex journeys during the darkest days of the year. Some of us to to church, many no longer celebrate the birth of Jesus, but the ancient festivities carry on in all sorts of different guises, as they have at this time of year, around the world, for thousands of years.

We're kinder to strangers. We wish people well even when we don't like them much. We donate to good causes and volunteer at charity Christmas dinners. We forget our differences. Nations call a halt to war and conflict for one precious day... then pick it up again afterwards.

Some of us drink too much, eat too much, turn the heating up as far as it'll go and fall asleep in front of the telly. Others go for brisk winter walks, nodding cheery hellos to fellow festive rebels. Some even take a dip in the frigid, blue-feet-making sea, feeling the famously magical natural high humans get from wild swimming in cold water. Whatever takes your fancy, it's fine because it's Christmas.

And, of course, the winter solstice takes place just before the Christian Christmas festival, the shortest day of all, falling on or around 21st December. It heralds the lighter, brighter days to come despite marking the official start of the northern hemisphere's astronomical winter.

It might even snow on the big day itself, something that has the weather forecasters poring over their charts, betting shops setting the odds, and children all over the country feverishly excited just in case.

Some call it Yule, Yuletide, Jul, jól, or joulu, all words for the winter festival traditionally celebrated by Germanic people to honour the winter solstice and commemorate the old year. But Yule is as mixed up as the rest of this curious international holiday. It's actually an Old English word with roots in the Old Norse language from the far, far north.

You might have heard of Saturnalia, the ancient Roman festival and holiday. It was originally a shortish affair but steadily evolved into a seven day extravaganza involving sacrifices, festivities, feasting, gift-giving and full-on partying. It even extended to the slaves, a time for liberty no matter who you were. And what about the Mayans, who predicted 21st December 2012 would be the end of the world? Luckily they were wrong!

Whether you celebrate the Christian Christmas or the Pagan version, dressing up is the name of the game. If gorgeous alternative fashion is on your radar, whether it's for yourself or as a gift, we have oodles of deliciously vivid, great quality clothing for you, all created with love and dedication, all classics designed to last. Perfect for winter layering, rich and vibrant.

Whatever you do, wherever you do it and whoever you do it with, we'd like to wish you a beautiful festive holiday doing the things you love best, with those you love most.