There’s something about this time of year in Scotland. Maybe it’s the way the light disappears by mid-afternoon and everyone silently agrees that’s the perfect excuse for another dram. Maybe it’s centuries of tradition, first-footing, Hogmanay bells, the sheer bravado of a New Year’s dook in freezing water that turn the darkest weeks of the year into the ones we look forward to most.

Whatever it is, we love it. And this festive season, we wanted to build something that captures it properly: not just a menu of things to do, but twelve days that move between the cosy and the chaotic, the traditional and the slightly daft. A whisky dram here, a bingo win there. A hike through the Trossachs to earn your feast, a dip in the loch to start the year with a shock to the system.

Some of what’s ahead is proudly, unapologetically Scottish — the kind of thing your granny would nod along to. Some of it is just us having a bit of fun and hoping you’ll join in. All of it is designed to be shared: with old friends, new ones, family you’ve not seen in a year, or a table full of strangers by the third dram.

So pull up a chair, pour something warming, and let’s make some memories together.

From all of us at Karma Lake of Menteith, here’s to a properly good festive season.