Milo just asked me to write a few words of Christmas greetings and I was wracking my brains trying to come up with something more original than the standard Christmas cheer message that went on my 45 Christmas cards! Then something else struck me today as I was stressing out about Christmas presents and I'm glad I get to share it now because it made me realise why I love Christmas so much and what it means to me.

I was wrapping presents this evening in my room and was beginning to worry that some family members' presents were smaller than last years. Silly I know, but I'm always aware that I'm a little better off than my siblings (who work way harder then me!) and feel like my gifts should be all the more impressive to compensate for these imbalances. Which is still silly. So there I was wrapping and worrying, worrying and wrapping and then the words of one of the Jackson 5 Christmas songs, strumming away in the background (as is customary in my room) penetrated my thoughts and made me reevaluate everything I'd been thinking about earlier. It's called 'Christmas Won't be the Same This Year' and (I don't know if it's fact or ficiton or are the Jacksons just playing but this is how the song goes anyway!) it tells of how Jermaine just broke up with his girlfriend and how Christmas is completely different without her. They sing 'Christmas won't be the same this year/ Without her loving arms holding you so near'. As they sang this I suddenly started tearing up as I realised that Christmas will be so different this year for Michael Jackson's family without him to share in the family festivities. And that led to thinking about all the people I know of who've died this year and recently and how changed Christmas will be for their families. I am sitting in my living room as I type this with various family members sitting around intensely absorbed in The Muppets Christmas Carol (and let me tell you, it is very hard to write this because that is such a great film!). We are watching it because it is tradition and even as we all grow up my sister staunchly refuses to let us break that tradition, simply because 'we always do it'.

I love change and I love adventure and I am notorious for hopping on a plane alone to London when I get bored of living in the depths of the countryside. But NOT on Christmas. Christmas is always the same for my family and that is the way I like it. The rest of the year is full of adventure and challenge and putting yourself out in the world. Things do and have changed of course but it is always essentially the same for the people around me. It is only for a day and that is certainly why it is so perfect. Everyone relaxes and watches films and chats and is just generally happy (maybe ever moreso these years that we don't get gimmicky presents that break 2 hours after you've opened them!). It is the one day of the year where everyone has the unanimous wish to do nothing but be together and have fun and relax. I find it hard to imagine how Christmas could be the same without even one of these key people I always spend it with. And yet things will inevitably change from Christmas to Christmas, people will come and go and we will have to maintain that Christmas spirit and love. It reminded me of an allegory Paulo Coehlo used once where he says that noone can 'posess' beauty. It is my favourite allegory. He means that beauty is a momentary thing. He said that everyone who receives a beautiful bunch of flowers from someone will have to watch them wither and die. But you can't dwell on that, you have to remember their beauty and be grateful you got to experience and enjoy it. And then accept the changes. Christmas does have a spirit and it unites people and helps them forget everything else so regardless of the changes that have come about this year let Christmas be a day where you stop and relax and enjoy everything and everyone you have around you now.

As usual I am not being most articulate (you try expressing your thoughts with the muppets chanting carols in the background...) but I hope this has been an uplifting insight to what Christmas is about for me at least. It made me happy to think that tomorrow I can relax and be happy and forget any troubles as the whole world is trying to do the same. It made me laugh at my present worries which are really very trivial and it suddenly seemed a bit conceited to be worrying about impressing my family through gifts. I hope they like them but they will forget them within 10 minutes and we'll all go about our usual Christmas routine and end up just enjoying sitting down and being momentarily happy

The Muppets are launching into another song and I don't want to take up any more of your Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful, happy, enjoyable day whatever you get up to! Thank you for all the kindness and support you have shown me and the HP films this year, it is invaluable and always very much appreciated.

Lots of Love and mince pies! Evanna xxxxxxx

I was told by one of the studio chaps that they were filming exteriors for a scene with Neville, Luna and Ginny on the train.

#3. Dreams Do Come True: Evanna Lynch
Born: August 16, 1991

She’s gained a legion of dedicated fans from playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, but did you know that Evanna Lynch herself is quite the Harry Potter fan and has been long before she was even part of the films? When she was younger, Evanna used to write to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, asking if she have a role in the films. Funnily enough, J.K Rowling has written back to Evanna on occasions. Fast forward a few years later and dreams really do come true! And here’s an extra Evanna/Harry Potter tibit – Evanna made the Raddish Earrings that Luna Lovegood wears in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!