Boxing clever

The Christmas box is more than just a gift, which is why everyone should give as generously as they can this festive season – or risk going down in hunting history for all the wrong reasons

- RORY KNIGHT BRUCE

It is Twelve Days before Christmas but in hunt kennels across the land all is far from crisp and even – and the only thing that is deep is the muck heap. The Master has sprung some extra days, the prettier grooms have gone missing and the second whip has put his name on the transfer list. Welcome to the festive fun for hunt staff.

Of course, it is not all bleak midwinter. There is a cocoon of good cheer that envelops the countryside from the beginning of December and hunting sits at the very heart of this. It is not about shopping but the thought of seeing a dash of scarlet on a hillside of lightly dusted snow. Many hunts host their own carol services and these provide yet another opportunity to raise a glass to better times ahead. Such sights and joys, however, do not simply come down the chimney. For hunt staff, it is the busiest time of the year. Even when, as is the case this year, there is a Sunday break between hunting on Christmas Eve and the Monday of Boxing Day, there is still plenty of work to be done between the crackers and plum pudding. So, how do hunt staff prepare for this crammed calendar of the chase and how should we show our gratitude to them?

A DAY WITH THE PORN

I know of one subscriber who would go to the kennels and give a copy and year’s subscription to Penthouse magazine with the instruction: “To be shared amongst you.” This may now be deemed out of date and inappropriate. Other no doubt well-meaning gift bearers choose to turn up to the huntsman’s door on Christmas morning. This will be the one time of the year when he is not pleased to see you, worrying instead about how he is going to cram in all his work around the turkey and cranberry sauce.

ST STEPHEN’S DAY