In case you hadn't noticed, Christmas is almost upon us and yes, you're right, I am about to do my annual Scrooge impression. Don't get me wrong, in the days when we were a family with three children living at Hey Farm it was a joyous time and all of us entered into the spirit of it. It started in October with the annual ceremony of making the Xmas puddings and all having a stir of the mixture, a good Xmas pudding improves with age. At the beginning of December we gathered round the open fire in the front room and the kids sent their letters to Santa up the chimney, burning and being whirled away by the draught in the flue. By some miracle they all arrived at the North Pole intact! I wonder what kids do in these days when an open fire is a rarity. Not a lot of point consigning them to the central heating boiler, it simply wouldn't work. I suspect it's an email to Santa, OK I suppose but not as exciting as the fire.
Another thing that has changed is the fact that fifty years ago (yes, the surviving two are that old now) they only asked for one present and always got it. Today, from what I have seen, it is more likely to be a long list of must-haves, many of them driven by brand culture and the avalanche of advertising. Their street credibility depends on how well they do in the post-Xmas comparisons in the school yard where reputations are made and broken. Lord knows it was hard enough fifty years ago when times were hard but what is it like for parents now? I can well imagine parent's dismay when the cost is totted up but what can they do?
Fortunately help is at hand. I saw a TV advertisement a few days ago for a mail order company credit card that promised no repayments had to be made until April 2018. How kind of them to extend this helping hand. I shudder when I think of desperate young parents taking the offer and four months later realising that the piper has to be paid (at 29.9% interest of course).
Those days are far behind me and my family accept the fact that as I am a sad old man living as a Singleton I have abolished Xmas. I remember a few years ago someone asked me what I had for my Xmas dinner and were very sorry for me when I said toast and dripping. I had to explain to them that it was what I fancied and the dripping was from a very nice piece of well-hung beef that would keep me going for days.
I still love the carols, the annual performance of the Messiah and the excitement of the kids on Xmas morning when they are out in the street with their new bikes and scooters but my main satisfaction is the love of my children and the fact that we gave them good Christmases all those years ago.
A hand made Xmas card from a friend.
