Today
I’ve received instructions from Becky to publish a “what I want for Christmas” blog. Traditionally, in our family, we don’t write present lists, preferring to place our trust in the hope that our nearest & dearest have being paying attention for the past year.
It’s also true that as you get older you can be harder to buy for – it’s no longer a question of buying you things you couldn’t afford or that you desperately need.
The flat in Brighton provides some inspiration, of course.
Well, here goes, Becky!
1 For the bedroom at the flat,
b. A pot to put my makeup brushes etc
2. Books
a. Novels
b.
c. Books on the geography and history of Peru
d. Surprise me……
3. Makeup
4. Self-improvement
a. Swimming lessons
b. Advanced driving lessons
5. Music
a. Tchaikovsky symphonies
b. Surprise me….
6. Clothes
a. Tops
b. Scarves & Pashminas
c. Interesting tights and popsocks
7. For the flat
a. Vases
b. Egg cups & spoons (we’ve only got two)
(Actually, we could do with some egg cups for home as well)
8. Food
a. Florentines
b. Panforte
c. Surprise me….
9. Jewellery
a. Earrings (no pierced ears, me)
b. Bracelets (not bangles)
10. Surprise me…..
In My Day
When we were children I think that we did write Christmas lists. These were generally available and you could pick anything off the list. We preserved secrecy over presents and I, at least, respected it. Christmas was so much more fun, if it was full of surprises.
We didn’t have Christmas stockings. One reason was that David woke up at St Paul’s where he was a chorister, on Christmas morning, so it would have been rather horrible if he couldn’t join in the fun. Also, we celebrated the German festival of St Nicholas on 5th December, when we put our shoes out on the windowsill and woke to find them full of sweets…
On Christmas day we waited, therefore, until after Christmas lunch with no presents at all. David would have arrived at about 3.00 pm, following evensong (it must have been hard for those choristers whose families didn’t live in London; perhaps they didn’t go home on Christmas Day at all…). We had a long and jolly lunch.
Then we adjourned into the next room. There would be the tree, 10ft high, – Mamma would start to light the candles (we would help). Then some carols were sung and, later, the family hymn. There was a folding card table for each of us, covered with a cloth. The cloth was intriguingly lumpy as it concealed our presents.
Then it was “go!” and we were all allowed to open our presents. I guess we all opened them in our own fashion. I suspect that I was rather fast and sometimes wished that I’d gone more slowly to enjoy them more.
By the time we’d finished and thanked everyone, it was about 7.00 O’clock so the rest of the evening was spent in enjoying our presents or in playing whatever new board game hade been bought by Mamma & Daddy.
After what 2006 has brought, what I actually want for Christmas is my family all around me.
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