What a lovely idea started by Floss ... an opportunity for us to share our experiences and expectations of another Christmas (and this is my 51st!)
I don't know if it is my memory playing tricks on me but I recall cold crisp Decembers with snow on the ground to give it that extra magic .... visiting relations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day spent at home. We were a stockings at the bottom of the bed type of family (pillowcases actually) and I can remember trying to keep awake to get a glimpse of Santa who should have eaten his mince pie and drunk his glass of sherry left downstairs at bedtime (I know he shouldn't drink & drive!). My most vivid memory is the year I really wanted a bike .... I was 10 years old and still believed and was bitterly disappointed that there wasn't one beside my bed that morning. Then dad said go downstairs and check that the fire hasn't gone out and there in the middle of the living room floor was a purple bike with saddlebag, basket the works!!! It wasn't brand new but that didn't matter ... dad had walked it home from his friend's house late on Christmas Eve (his daughter had outgrown it) and I can still see myself bombing round the green in front of the house that morning.
Then I grew up .... the magic disappeared for a while till I had my own brood and it all came back again .... and in turn they grew up and it disappeared again for a while. Now we have grandchildren and I mind other children I can make the extra effort again. We are not a religious family but do firmly believe that children should be taught that it is not all about receiving, sweets & chocolates and drinking yourself stupid and I feel we are losing the true meaning with the PC ways of local authorities who remove all mention of Christmas from our schools for fear of offending someone (who ????) .... how I used to look forward to the primary school nativity production. When I ventured into the loft yesterday to get the deccies out I found the video from 1992 when my girls were 4 and 6 ..... little one was an angel and elder was a narrator .... it brought tears to my eyes to see them again ...... so sweet and innocent.
So tomorrow we start the countdown ...... I will be sprinkling my magic fairy dust at the weekend and can't wait to see the little one's eyes on Monday morning when they come in.
How lovely that you are able to share Christmas with so many children! I love your own story of the bike. Thanks for joining us.
ReplyDeleteI am a fellow adventer!!! I have to say that having children is making it all so much more speical. I am focusing on the non commerical aspects of chirstmas with them. We put out our nativity display yesterday. I too got a new to me bike as a child and cherished it, even if it was a boys grifter!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely, lovely post Debbie........ All your charges are going to have a wonderful time with you, I am sure.
ReplyDeleteI love that Floss has done this - it's so special to read these posts, and yours is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to say a huge thank you for your comment. I rarely do personal posts, and I've been so buoyed up by the comments I've received that it's helped me sort out my head about it all a lot. It's not making things easy at the moment, but we are getting there. But, oh yes, boy do I feel like a child again when I go it! I hate that feeling.
But thank you - your comment helped immensely. x
Lovely post, and we had pillowcases as well. In fact my boys still do which I will be posting about at some stage.
ReplyDeleteWill take care not to overdo it. ;-)
Lovely story - I can remember my mum making me a doll's cradle out of a little wooden box and she put upturned hangers at the bottom so that it rocked and she stitched all the bedding so that it all matched beautiful. Your post has jogged my memory (now in my 52nd year!) to so many of the fun things we did at Christmas when I was a child!. thank you. XX
ReplyDeleteWe had pillowcases too, and always Christmas Day at home, with lots of extra people.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post - I really enjoyed reading it. A timely reminder to step back from the madness that has become the run-up to Christmas these days xx
ReplyDelete