Scone Spy gets into the festive spirit with a trip to House of Farnell, by Brechin

Looking delicious! (Ross Johnston/Newsline Media)

YOU may have noticed this – there’s an event coming up soon that’s known to many as “Christmas”.

This time of year has many meanings to many people, but almost all of us indulge in eating lots of things.

Now, while scones might not be the first Christmas foodstuff that springs to mind, any excuse to have a scone is a good excuse.

You just need a little imagination.

Baubles on Christmas trees … they’re shaped like scones aren’t they?

Easily mistaken for Christmas tree baubles…(Ross Johnston/Newsline Media)

There’s usually a Bond movie on telly starring Sean Sconnery, and we sing carols like Ding Scone Merrily On High, Little Sconekey and the much loved traditional carol, Scone All Ye Faithful.

Yes, there are more scones in Christmas than most people realise.

The run up to Santa’s big day is also a time of worship. We pay homage to our god, “Money”, by spending lots and lots of it.

Scone Spy does, it must be admitted, enjoy a good shopping trip.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone thought of a way to combine eating scones and shopping?

Well someone has.

The House of Farnell, by Brechin in Angus, specialises in both disciplines.

The shop is delightful (Ross Johnston/Newsline Media)

It is only open at this time of year and is a café attached to the most amazing Christmas shop you could imagine.

It imports Christmas from Scandinavia and has mountains of stock, from why-have-I-never-thought-of-this practical, to the most fun festive frippery.

Yule in those northern climes obviously includes many a gonk, gnome and troll of Scandinavian folklore. There are hundreds.

The shop also has highly unusual Christmas tableware, wonderful wall hangings, incredible candles, amazing ornaments and brilliant bric-a-brac.

And you’ll have seen none of it anywhere else.

If Aladdin was the sort of chap who did Christmas, this is what his cave would look like.

And there is a café that serves as good a scone as any of Santa’s elves ever baked. We had the chocolate chip variety, which was warmed (a vital stage in the scone process) with a pot of jam and just enough butter to make it dangerous.

Having a Scandinavian theme, it also served a Danish pastry that might have been designed for a Scone Spy.

It was three warm doughnuts tossed in sugar and accompanied by jam – they call it aebleskiver.

Well if there is a more able skiver in the land than me, then I’d like to meet that person and challenge them to a skiving duel. They can choose the weapons. Scone Spy is equally adept with butter and cream, or raspberry jam and icing sugar dusting. Bring it on!

Farnell House, though, is worth the trip. You’ll have to move fairly fast (by scone eating standards). It is only open until December 20.

Make sure you take your purse because you’ll see a lot of things that will lead you to say: “Oh, that’s a perfect gift for…”.