IT’S completely understandable but it’s rather a shame that parents may well now buy Nativity costumes rather than make them.

Don’t we usually dread that moment when Emma or Oliver comes home with a note explaining they are a shepherd, wise man or donkey and need a suitable outfit?

Usually, a late night and total frustration ensues as you cut up one of your best matching sheets or fashion wings from wire coathangers.

Now, you can buy a full Virgin Mary outfit for £8, including a baby Jesus made from 100 per cent polyester, while shepherd outfits come with their own stuffed sheep and plastic crook.

Sad to say, now that my daughters are all grown-up, I rather miss the dreaded sewing and fashioning needed.

And seem to recall it, with the warmth of distance, as being another enjoyable part of the true spirit of Christmas.