I suddenly realised something the rest of the whanau clicked to ages ago. If I’m going to cram in my quota of Christmas music this year, I need to start playing the Union Homestead Christmas playlist now. Come on, Alexa, shout it out!

First up, Fairytale of New York by The Pogues; an undeniable Homestead Yuletide favourite. The bitter, the sweet, the awesome Irish folk bounce and swoop. Farm Girl, who was the only other Homesteader around, took my yodelling along in good part. She even joined in as Kirsty MacColl at one stage. Next, “I don’t want a lot for Christmas…”. Yep, it’s Mariah Carey – we’re talking the original here. More yodelling but this time none from Farm Girl. The girl has her standards.

What’s next?

At the sound of the first piano chord, my fellow Homesteader suddenly becomes very busy assembling her lunchtime toasted sandwich.

She has nothing to worry about, I assure her, I have this under control. No, really! I even sung along with it the bit about ancient wisdom, tenacious ideas, and dodgy hymn lyrics.

But who am kidding?

This song is, for me, Christmas. It’s a bit too much wine and ever louder conversation around the dining table, the two sliding doors wide open to catch the cross-breeze. It’s being with the people you don’t have to explain yourself to and can trust entirely because they’ve already proven they’re always there for you. It’s gloriously antipodean, it’s unashamedly family…and it is guaranteed to make me absolutely howl on first listening each season.

This was no exception.

Now, it really feels like Christmas.