I appear to be mellowing with age - an unlikely, but welcome scenario. I recently thought back to the christmas's of times past and once I started they positively flooded back.
My earliest memory is of my Dad taking us out to see the Salvation Army band that played outside our flat at Jubilee clock in Harlsden, north west London. My brother and I, along with Mum and Dad would sing along to the carols.
My Dad was a huge fan of the 'Sally Army'. he often recalled the welcome they gave to returning sailors during the war at Waterloo station when hot tea and a butties were offered to one and all.
Accompanying this was the vivid memory of being given a dolls house for Christmas. I could only have been around 3-4 years old, but the absolute joy of this gift took my breath away - I wonder what happened to it?
As the years passed and we moved to Wembley, Christmas morning became a lesson in self control that I never quite managed to grasp - and still struggle with to this day. My brother and I would wake up at, 'silly o,clock', to find Christmas stockings on the end of our beds - from Santa, naturally. The stockings contained a few nuts in the bottom (only useful for using as ammunition against each other in the absence of a nut cracker!), a satsuma which became ,first breakfast, and 2-3 small presents. Second breakfast consisted of chocolate provided by Aunty Betty, who always gave us a small box of Milk Tray each year - very grown up! One year Santa made the mistake of putting an aerosol of Crazy Foam in my stocking. This was a huge error of, otherwise impeccable, judgement as the yelling from my brother at being woken by a covering in the stuff woke our parents at around 5 am. Christmas morning was a little tense that year...
The Christmas nativity at school is also a very fond memory. Again, the carols, the proud parents and using the classrooms as dressing rooms for the participants - which was most of the school - combined with the novelty of being in school after 'the bell.
My thoughts then jumped ahead to my working years. As a nurse there was no guarantee of having Christmas off. However, the atmosphere of the wards and units I worked in changed, as did the moral of the staff and patients. Yet another Salvation Army memory of the band playing in the inner Quadrangle of the Middlesex Hospital in Mortimer street on Christmas eve night. As I peered out of the window on the 4th floor to see what was going on, I noticed that in all the other windows staff and patients were also watching the magical transformation of a Christmas eve late shift from anxiety and sadness to the sheer joy of sharing that moment in time - God Bless the Sally Army!
After we married, The Present Husband (TPH) and I would always attend Midnight mass which became very important to us as it was akin to firing the starting pistol for the festivities. After midnight mass we would go home to a mince pie, irish coffee, and the opening on one small present. This was always accompanied by waking at 3am with indigestion and an assault on the Gaviscon!
Our first Christmas as a married couple was a little inauspicious as I was working nights until Boxing day. Thus, midnight mass was given the heave ho along with the mince pie, irish coffee and indigestion. Thankfully, TPH collected me from work on Christmas morning - having got up at an unearthly hour, bless him - and we went home to tea and eggy soldiers for him and a huge mug of hot chocolate heavily laced with Cointreau for me. I slept like a baby for 5 hours and was woken to a Christmas lunch, served to me in bed, of Cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. We watched 'Dumbo' on the TV and celebrated Christmas with friends in the traditional manner next day.
Nowadays Christmas celebrations start 2 weeks before the day itself by the dressing of the tree, decorating the living room and turning it into Santa's Grotto with fairy lights and tinsel.
Presents have less and less significance as the years pass, though we still buy each other gifts. Our greatest joy is being able to make donations to our favourite charities - Sally Army at the front of the queue as always!
To all my family, chums and anyone else who accidently tripped over this blog I wish you all the joys of Christmas, and good health, hope and happiness in the new year.
Merry Christmas.
