‘That’s true,’ said Noah, who clearly had no paternal instincts and looked with disfavour at the line up as a ruckus broke out among the snowsuit brigade. The battle for the last cookie was on. ‘Give it a couple of years and you’ve got that on your hands.’

He covered his ears and marched back into his and Abbie’s hut as the wails reached a crescendo that only Bandit would be able to properly hear.

‘He has a point,’ I laughed, then spotted the look on Abbie’s face. ‘But each to their own.’

There were slightly more snow flurries as the morning passed, but nothing significant. From the winter months I could remember living near Wynmouth, heavy snowfall so close to the Norfolk coast had been a rarity but the falling flakes added to the atmosphere and made Wynter’s Trees look even prettier. With the tree deliveries finally finished, Ned had spent some time putting up even more decorations and if the snow kept falling then the party on Saturday night was going to have the perfect seasonal backdrop.

‘My goodness,’ gasped Theo, immediately noticing all the gaps on the shelves when he popped in later that day. ‘I knew you’d sold a lot from looking at the online banking, but seeing it like this is quite something.’

‘I know,’ I grinned. ‘It’s amazing, isn’t it? And nothing to do with me. It’s your products that have drawn the customers in. You and Wren are an incredibly talented duo. I hope you’ve got more stock.’

‘Um,’ he said. ‘Wren’s got more than I have, but we should be all right. If push comes to shove, I might see if some of my larger pieces will sell.’

I couldn’t help thinking he should have made them available from November, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. I got the feeling that he hadn’t been all that confident when the hut opened, but fingers crossed the popularity of his and Wren’s clever crafts had given him enough of a boost to realise that there was real value in what he produced at the wheel.

The recent boost to their bank balance had hopefully helped him with that too. I was so pleased I had been able to play a part in making sure they hadn’t missed out on this most lucrative, as well as most wonderful, time of the year.

‘I think that would be a fantastic idea,’ I encouraged him. ‘Nothing ventured and all that. How’s Wren feeling today?’

‘She’s great,’ he said, his face breaking into a smile. ‘Although a little nauseous, first thing but even that has made her happy.’

‘Really?’

Theo looked wistful. ‘She said she doesn’t mind feeling a bit yuk in the mornings because it’s all part of the pregnancy experience and proof that her hormones are doing their thing.’