If the first half tilts to a half-story, the second is marked mainly by showboating. But what fine showboating. This is where the choreography really ignites, through a plethora of worldwide influences. There are Chinese tea dancers, delicate and gossamer-light; jolly Jack Tars, and rich, energetic Russian flavours. They span continents and genres, and feel like a welcome nod to beautiful multiculturalism, at a time when the real world is so divided. 

Of particular interest are the Clowns, pugnacious and playful, elegant and absurdist. It's sheer anarchy whenever they appear, a welcome slice of vaudeville high jinks. The Spanish dancers ( Harvey Littlefield, James Hobley, Melissa Parsons and Elizabeth Williams) in traditional flamenco red and black frills also weave an intoxicating, sensuous spell, undulating with real elan. 

Reinvigorating such a well loved classical ballet is obviously no small task. Every detail here is exquisitely rendered, the choreography sublime, and all soundtracked  to perfection by the superb orchestra. But perhaps I was looking for some darker shades to co-exist with the light, dark velvet amid all the frost and froth. That's not Christopher Hampson's modus operandi here, and why should it be? This is, after all, ballet with the whole family at the core. Perhaps I should quash my Grinch expectations and step into the light. After all, ’tis the season.