In the eternal words of Noddy Holder; It's Chrrriiiiiiiisssssttttttmmmmaaaaassssssssss. Yes, pedant, I'm aware that's not the song I posted above but it's a catchy motto! For the record, Shakin' Stevens easily tops Slade as my favourite all time Christmas tune, I'm afraid. As does John Lennon's ' Happy Xmas (War Is Over)', Elton John's 'Step Into Christmas' and Wizzard's 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'. But I digress...
I love Christmas. Christmas in our household is a site to behold and a pleasure to be a part of.
The day typically begins at an appropriate hour - Santa himself couldn't cut my sleep any shorter than it needs to be. I then get showered and slip into something special... clothes wise... not lingerie or anything! Then begins the imminent wait for everyone else to get ready. We then either head out or await the family depending on where we're spending Christmas. Once everyone's arrived, we normally take a stroll down the local for a drink and our bi-annual pool tournament between the families. Once we've lost, goddammit, we head home to sit down for Christmas lunch complete with hats and crappy Christmas cracker jokes.
Quite out of the ordinary, we don't exchange our presents until the afternoon after we've had Christmas lunch. And then a big deal is made out of the fact that everyone has to have a gift at once - to a point where the person codenamed 'Santa' (present hander outer) has to dig through the presents to find one for the person who hasn't currently got one to open! But I wouldn't have it any other way. As a kid, I used to find this quite annoying during the day when I hadn't got my brand new Action Man All Terrain Vehicle to play with, but the spectacle of everyone sat around giving and receiving gifts made up for it. Not to mention it gives you something to look forward to. I've never understood people who rush downstairs first thing in the morning - especially as individuals rather than as a family - and proceed to tear into their presents without taking time to savour them, look at what other people have got or see the faces of your loved ones when they open the gifts you've bought them. For most, the day ends there. It's almost like they want to rush through the holiday they've waited for for so long. All too many people I know end up bored or sat online on Christmas Day after exhausting the festivities but that's not the case for myself! Once presents have been exchanged, piled up, hoards examined, thanks given and cats removed from playing in the piles of wrapping paper, the steady all-day drinking becomes a free for all and the real fun begins. The Wii is switched on and the board games come out - I have fond memories of playing Dunkin' Doughnuts with my late Nan when she was well into her late 80's - and after that it all becomes a bit of a haze. Other than flashbacks of having more people than places to sleep and makeshift beds made out of sofa cushions and blankets. Rinse & repeat for Boxing Day.
All that and so much more (I'm rushing through this!) is why I love Christmas. It just seems to be a day that everyone comes together to work toward the same goal; to celebrate with family and friends, have fun and have a jolly good knees up.
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope today brings you everything you want and for whatever reason you celebrate Christmas - celebrate hard!
And to those who aren't around this Christmas, know that you're in my thoughts and in my heart.
xx
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