Today began slowly for me, a gentle wake up followed by toast and coffee in bed,a lovely way to start the day and I was very thankful for there treat as I was dreadfully tired after yesterday. Everyone tells me to take it slowly but it is difficult when there is so much to do and so little time.
Once my son was safely in bed I made Pa some breakfast and then finished decorating our Christmas tree. Under normal circumstances the tree goes up in mid November, and its absence in the window has cause a lot of comment. Today I received lots of calls for as everyone said seeing the tree was up they knew I must be feeling better,a sort of barometer I suppose. The last of the visitors came as I was about to begin cooking our meal so that made things a little later than usual on a working night.
Pa went in to town for me as I was feeling tired and I decided to do a little gentle parcel wrapping,nothing too strenuous you understand. Books for my son, some new togs for Pa, a beautiful fisherman’s sweater for my son, the usual sort of thing. We have never subscribed to the Christmas surprises thing, I feel that especially for children it can lead to feverish anticipation and bitter disappointment for the child. Presents cost a lot and so you may as well give the child what it really wants.
When my son was a child we began in late September with a short list of ideas, as we were not at all wealthy this was done with a catalogue of toys. We had such fun picking and choosing and it gave him time to make up his mind as to what he really wanted, it never failed once. Of course both his Grannies were scandalised that he chose his own gifts from the tender age of three, of course we never enlightened them as to why we chose to do things differently.
One Christmas when I was about six, a real Tom boy and determined to be either Robin Hood or Flash Gordon when I grew up I was given I beautiful, expensive dolls pram complete with dolly dressed by my Gran in hand knitted clothes. I had been hoping for a bow and arrows or a ray gun.... a sheriffs out fit complete with cowboy hat and badge ,my brother got those, he had wanted a soft bodied doll which he had seen on television. Boys did not play with dolls and girls did not tote guns. My brother and I dealt with our problems by swapping our gifts and my mother was none too pleased.
Ni ether of us was any the worse for our childhood oddities, indeed I can so nothing wrong in boys learning to be gentle and girls learning how to be tough!
I do usually manage a small surprise for each of the boys and they try to do the same e but since none of us are good at keeping secrets it often gets blurted out. The main thing is we have such fun, just as much as when our son was small.
The house is looking very Christmassy now although I have not completed the decorations. I am to short to hang garlands and streamers and may not climb at the moment so these will wait until next week when my son is at home. I still have my room to do and of course my son always decorates a small tree in his room using all the little wooden toys which dressed the tree when he was a child,it has become a tradition through which he has learned how to dress a tree beautifully.
Our little cat it ecstatic as she adores the Christmas tree which becomes her roost throughout the holiday period, you can imagine how cute she looks curled up amongst the parcels, real chocolate box stuff.
Pa came home wind blown , during the course of the afternoon the wind increased and the leaves in the lane blew about in eddies and even at time mini whirlwinds one of which whirled down the garden path. This was too much for the cat and she clamoured to come in as the leaves buffeted her about. Poor old puss!
I made some beef burgers for dinner with lots of caramelised onions and some fries and salad,I do not seem to be up to any major cookery at the moment but I do get stronger every day and I am sure that I shall manage all my Christmas cooking with no problems. I love it so much, it is wonderful to have such splendid ingredients to play with. The sweet cakes and puddings, the pork pies and sausage rolls to the turkey and the big roast ham, I cannot wait to get started, but this week I shall be sensible and rest as much as I can; to which end I am now off to bed, goodnight, God bless.
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