Christmas Yet to Come
I've always liked Christmas Day. Last year, however, it was very difficult in some ways as the Communist died on December 8th and I think I went through the whole thing on automatic pilot: I took some photos so I know if all happened but I really don't remember much about it, which is unusual for me.
I love Christmas Dinner - it's my favourite meal of the year with many of my favourite foods in it. Turkey! Cranberry sauce! Roast potatoes! Peas! Parsnips! Sprouts! Sweetcorn! Broccoli! I love them all. I love Christmas pudding too, though I can't really eat it these days because of my diabetes.
I don't drink alcohol - - okay, two lagers one evening in Italy and I was really rather merry - but that's because I hardly ever drink because of the tablets I'm on. So I don't tend to drink at Christmas either - - well, perhaps a couple of glasses of Bailey's but sometimes not even that.
What I like is getting up early to put the turkey on - - watching everyone open their presents - - getting dinner ready and eating it - - perhaps a walk if the weather's good - - an evening in front of the television.
In recent years there have usually been the Communist, Mum, Olli, Gareth, Stephen and me.
But my mother is more sociable than we are. And, since the Communist's death, she doesn't have to stick around for Christmas if she doesn't want to.
And she doesn't want to. She wants to go to Park Hotel in Tenby where there'll be lots of liveliness and dancing and even a swim in the sea on Boxing Day if she fancies it (which she well might, and I certainly would if I were there.)
So I said to her tonight, that if she wants to, she should go. She wants to do a lot more socialising than we do: in fact I really don't want to do any this year. But in Tenby she could get slightly tipsy and chat to all the guests and all the staff and dance the night away and everyone would think - - what a wonderful old lady! And the guests will all think she's about seventy-five, though very well preserved - and actually she's eighty-five.
I don't know what the trains will be like though - that may prove tricky. I'll start investigating it. Tenby is 250 miles from Leeds, though she's done the journey on her own several times now.
She'd like us all to go, of course, but it's simply too expensive at Christmas.
"And you won't feel I'm abandoning you, then?" she asked.
"No, of course not, Mum. I think you'd have a much better time there. I think you'd love it."
"Yes, I think I would."
I think she would. Though there's a tiny bit of me - and she's never going to know this - that thinks hey, my MOTHER! ABANDONING ME! AT CHRISTMAS! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
But I shall put my inner five-year-old to one side and ring the hotel.
I love Christmas Dinner - it's my favourite meal of the year with many of my favourite foods in it. Turkey! Cranberry sauce! Roast potatoes! Peas! Parsnips! Sprouts! Sweetcorn! Broccoli! I love them all. I love Christmas pudding too, though I can't really eat it these days because of my diabetes.
I don't drink alcohol - - okay, two lagers one evening in Italy and I was really rather merry - but that's because I hardly ever drink because of the tablets I'm on. So I don't tend to drink at Christmas either - - well, perhaps a couple of glasses of Bailey's but sometimes not even that.
What I like is getting up early to put the turkey on - - watching everyone open their presents - - getting dinner ready and eating it - - perhaps a walk if the weather's good - - an evening in front of the television.
In recent years there have usually been the Communist, Mum, Olli, Gareth, Stephen and me.
But my mother is more sociable than we are. And, since the Communist's death, she doesn't have to stick around for Christmas if she doesn't want to.
And she doesn't want to. She wants to go to Park Hotel in Tenby where there'll be lots of liveliness and dancing and even a swim in the sea on Boxing Day if she fancies it (which she well might, and I certainly would if I were there.)
So I said to her tonight, that if she wants to, she should go. She wants to do a lot more socialising than we do: in fact I really don't want to do any this year. But in Tenby she could get slightly tipsy and chat to all the guests and all the staff and dance the night away and everyone would think - - what a wonderful old lady! And the guests will all think she's about seventy-five, though very well preserved - and actually she's eighty-five.
I don't know what the trains will be like though - that may prove tricky. I'll start investigating it. Tenby is 250 miles from Leeds, though she's done the journey on her own several times now.
She'd like us all to go, of course, but it's simply too expensive at Christmas.
"And you won't feel I'm abandoning you, then?" she asked.
"No, of course not, Mum. I think you'd have a much better time there. I think you'd love it."
"Yes, I think I would."
I think she would. Though there's a tiny bit of me - and she's never going to know this - that thinks hey, my MOTHER! ABANDONING ME! AT CHRISTMAS! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
But I shall put my inner five-year-old to one side and ring the hotel.
posted by Daphne at 11:32 pm
6 Comments:
I was just sitting at my computer thinking about Christmas and I came across your blog post which put a smile on my face. I, too, love Christmas. I can't wait to start playing Christmas music. I love everything about it and I have started to get my things together for my Christmas cake today. What a great post.
Well of course WE know why she wants to be at The Park at Christmas and I assume New Year too !
So if you catch her packing plenty of mistletoe in her case, maybe you'll need to worry more about that than her swimming in the sea on Boxing Day.
AH! Christmas!The delights of December!The idea in this other Hemisphere is to keep it simple..plenty of salads,good meats, seafood,maybe pudding for tradition and to do as little as possible,be as flexible as possible with unknown numbers arriving.
Christmas Eve is always a party BBQ with the kids bringing their own food these days, all of them great cooks and a lovely catching up start to Christmas Day.
We make our own presents or have a limit on spending, usually $20 and it's the best,most laid-back time of the year.No duty,obligations enter into it and it must be hard for those so torn.
Do understand your inner child though, shame you can't all go to Tenby!
Don't you hate it when we have to be grown up and make the unselfish decision?
I too love Christmas. I shall be merry this year.
I'm with Goosebreeder on this one... but I'm in the northern hemisphere: No obligations.
As soon as each of our offspring reached 18 they spent Christmas in the Alps (think gap year season) and since then we had no expectations for either of them to spend Christmas with us... this means they are free to be with their partners' families.
It works well... and we've even know them to wander back to us of their own volition in time for New Year.
So yes, ring that hotel... and, if necessary, enjoy Christmas on your own... you may even find it's more fun than you expected.
I completely understand how your inner five your old must feel, it's so hard to let go of things particularly friends, family, traditions. You are right though that your wonderfully sociable mother will probably enjoy her Christmas in Tenby. Helping her to be happy is part of making your own Christmas happy. So what would you like to make it merry?
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