CHRISTMAS comes but once a year, goes the old adage. And apart from those Scrooges among us, it's fair to say most of us like to bask in the joy of the festive season.

For the majority of people, it is a welcome time of rest and reflection as we slip in and out of a state of sem-hibernation for a few days and shut our doors on the stresses of everyday existence.

Yuletide has come under increased scrutiny during the last few years. Many lament its perceived lapse into little more than a commercial opportunity. Then there are the humourless folk who would like the season rebranded as Winterval or some other similar absurdity.

Happily, the people of Worcestershire still value the traditional celebration and this is possibly why family butchers across the county are reporting a brisk trade in the sale of fresh turkeys.

There is no doubt that supermarkets have done an excellent job over the past few decades, bringing ordinary people into contact with foodstuffs that at one time would have been considered rare or even exotic.

But while the big operators are undoubtedly doing well this Christmas, it also seems that the smaller businesses are making the most of qualities that are uniquely their own - attention to detail and the provision of the personal touch.

This newspaper welcomes diversity and it is right that the small fry can co-exist with their larger cousins. It all makes for a healthy economy that we hope will continue into 2006.