When I was growing up, Christmas was loads of fun. I'd often wake too early and try nudging my brother awake. He's three years older than me so his excitement levels were slightly lower than mine. He'd grumble a little, turn over and keep sleeping. I'd be hopping about with excitement but didn't want to go downstairs alone so I'd wait.
Eventually he'd wake up and we'd go downstairs. A long flat parcel with a message from my grandfather and grandmother meant a chocolate selection box and I'd get involved straight away. Usually something like a caramel or a fudge bar would become breakfast. We'd spend a few hours playing with our presents. I think the year I got a karaoke machine and a Christmas karaoke video was probably the most unbearable for my family.
Next on the agenda was Christmas lunch. I've got quite a big extended family and we would all (about twenty of us) to go round to my grandparents' house and my grandmother would cook a huge Christmas dinner. You know the type of thing I mean, where the table is laden with bowls and plates of anything you could ever want. There are huge gravy boats at regular intervals and we're all trying to get hold of something which is at the opposite end of the table.
Then there was more present giving and, due to seat space, us kids would all sit on the floor and show each other our presents or, if it was my cousin and I, we would be making up dances to Backstreet Boys songs, or sometimes just making up songs about ourselves. One such song went:
Me: My name's Maimee.
Cousin: And my name's Maura.
Both: And our motto is - nab, neb, nib, nob, nub.
My goodness, we were lyrical geniuses!
Sometimes there'd be another do in the evening with the even larger extended family of second cousins and aunties once removed and all that. Often it would be on Boxing Day though and Christmas Day evening would consist of more chocolate, more playing with games and sometimes calling my friend, Ruth, to who's side I was mostly stuck during my childhood. I usually would have been given a book so would have my face in that for a while too.
It was fun. Now it's fun in a different way. It's fun to watch the kids doing all that. For me, it's fun to have time to read a book and have a cup of tea and do nothing. And I love to give presents I know people will like. I've got something really good for Danda.... Shhh.... Don't say anything. Actually, it's me who mustn't say anything. I keep on almost giving him the present cause I'm so excited.
Usually I feel quite neutral about Christmas itself. When I was a kid, I was massively excited about the very prospect of Christmas, of putting up the tree, of opening the presents, of being with all my cousins and playing with all our presents. Now, it's less about Christmas itself and more about giving nice things to people and having time to relax. But I made a promise to myself a few months ago, to be more excited about things. So I am going to embrace it more. I shall wear my Christmas jumper as often as possible and listen to Christmas songs and put some decorations up (just realised what a humbug I am, I don't own any Christmas decorations at all. Even if I got a tree, I'd have nothing to dress it with.... Shame on me.)
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