7 December: Cypress

In the French Revolutionary Calendar, today is Cyprès or Day of the Cypress Tree. 10 facts about the cypress tree:

1. Cypress trees belong to the genus Cupressus. Depending on which source you use, there are anything between 16 to 25 or more species.
2. They typically grow 50 to 80 feet (15-24 m.) tall with some species reaching as much as 100 feet. They can grow 24 inches a year and the trunks can reach 20 to 30 feet (6-9 m.) in diameter.
3. Cypress trees are deciduous conifers. Conifer means they produce cones. Most conifers are evergreens, which don't lose their leaves in winter. Like them, cypress trees have needles for leaves but lose them in autumn, making them deciduous conifers.
4. Some cypress trees have knees. The knees are woody growths which grow around the tree, a few feet away. Scientists don't know what the knees are for, but have observed they appear when the tree is growing in swampy conditions. It's possible their purpose is to provide Oxygen to submerged root systems.
5. Unlike the fir, covered a few days ago, cypress wood is resistant to rot and can be used extensively in building. It has been used to build canoes, water pipes and houses. It is traditionally believed to have been the wood used to build Noah's Ark .
6. Some species of cypress hold on to their seeds in closed cones for years, only releasing them when a forest fire kills the parent tree. The seeds then disperse and re-colonise the area.
7. The genus was named for Cyparissus, a young man loved by Apollo, who was distraught when his pet deer was killed by hunters. Apollo is said to have turned Cyparissus into a tree to ease his grief. For this reason, the tree has come to represent grief and mourning.
8. Another reason is that these trees are often planted near cemeteries. This is partly because the roots usually grow straight down rather than spreading out, so they won't disturb the graves. They were said to represent death because, although they can live for hundreds of years, they won't regenerate if cut back too severely. Cypress was used to adorn homes when a funeral was taking place and was used to fumigate the air during cremations. It was used to make wreaths with which to decorate statues of Pluto, god of the underworld. It is popular in modern Israeli cemeteries, because its shape resembles a candle and therefore represents the immortality of the soul. In France, they were planted near graves – one tree for a child and two for a couple. Hence the phrase Dormir sous un cyprès, or “to sleep under a cypress” means to be dead.
9. In fact, in the 1980s French estate agents had to invent a new tradition in order to sell houses which had cypress trees nearby. When people arrived in Provence from Paris, looking for a holiday home, they were often put off properties which had cypress trees growing in the grounds because of the association with death. So the estate agents and tourist board put their heads together and invented an "old tradition" that in Provence, at least, it was lucky to have a cypress tree near your home.
10. Which might beg the question, if cypress trees had such a gloomy reputation, why did people plant them beside their house in the first place? They often planted three of them in a triangular arrangement. It might have been so that if they needed to replace a beam in their roof, they didn't have to go far to get the wood. There's also a tradition that they were a message to passers by about how hospitable the owner of the house might be. Three trees meant they'd be willing to offer a weary traveller a bed for the night; two meant they'd offer food and drink and one tree was the equivalent of a sign saying, "No unsolicited callers." Or it might have been a sign that the beams in the roof had had to be replaced a couple of times and so it might not be wise to spend too much time there!

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle