Though the Netherlands officially kept out of the First World War, the country did experience an involvement of its own – when a huge wave of refugees arrived in its safely neutral harbours. Yet even in such difficult times, life goes on – and in Holland in ijs the thrills and spills of daily life are presented in all their glory. The winter of 1917 was a brutally cold one but the people are enjoying themselves in the great outdoors, feeding the birds, skating, even sailing in special yacht-sleighs on the ice, and posing happily for the camera. Such footage is so precious, and, in this instance, so beautifully-shot and exquisitely-coloured, and it rarely makes it into the history books – which is why we believe it’s as important as anything else in our show. So please, relax, open your eyes wide, and enjoy this year’s most aesthetically-pleasing reel – before we get back to the tough stuff again.

Karl Wratschko