‘You need to remember that they’ll fall back into their natural position once it’s out of the netting and happily in your house.’

Nick spotted her mum and dad having a similar discussion. ‘Why didn’t your dad bring his car? How is he going to get it home?’

‘That’s another crazy tradition. Dad and Mum always carry their tree home.’

‘Really?’ Nick’s voice rang with astonishment, and she couldn’t blame him.

‘Yep. I didn’t say we only had good family traditions. Believe me, Caro and I have tried to convince them to stop but they insist. You can call them lunatics, I don’t mind.’

‘That is a little bit bonkers.’

‘I think that one’s too bushy,’ she declared, having studied the tree. ‘What about this one?’

Pulling out another one, Bella asked the man to undo the netting so she could have a proper look at it. The smell of pine filled the air of Bluebell Park, and she kept glancing at Freddie to make sure he was enjoying himself. He giggled like he was in an actual winter wonderland, staring at the trees as if he’d never seen one before. It was cold enough to snow, but none had arrived yet. The addition of the Christmas tree seller made the park seem even more special and Meadowbank residents flocked to buy trees of all different sizes.

Now December was well and truly here, the whole village appeared like something from a Christmas movie. Cottages glittered with icicle lights hanging under eaves and windowsills, and gardens sparkled with decorations. The tree on the green shone over everything, making sure no one forgot what time of year it was, and every child saw it with renewed excitement when they left school each day.

Nick had arrived for breakfast with Freddie, and Bella’s nerves had tangled inside her. There was always the worry that her family would be too much for a man who must have been dreading the Christmas season, but Nick had proved her worries groundless. Her parents had welcomed him in as she knew they would, and even better, he’d allowed himself to be a part of it all.

Freddie’s eyes had almost bulged out of his head when he’d seen the spread that dominated the kitchen worktops. Pancakes with every conceivable topping were next to various drinks, some of which were far too alcoholic for ten o’clock in the morning. The smell of bacon and sausages perfumed the air from dishes warming in the oven and her mum smiled as she stirred a giant pot of scrambled egg.