Christmas at home...

It has been many years since we spent Christmas at home, over twelve but less than fourteen. Christmas for a number of years has been spent in Wales.

This year though, circumstance, fate, and the calling of the glass have conspired against me to keep us at home – and I’m really looking forward to it.

Not that I don’t enjoy Christmas in Wales. I do, very much. But this year I think I need the security old memories bring and the warmth that is given by a roaring log fire, maybe they’ll even be a cricket in the hearth.

Home is a big old rambling place. It needs a bit of attention in places and maybe a bit of a de-clutter (I’m a magpie you see), but generally it isn’t so bad and I love it particularly at Christmas time.

The best Christmas that I can remember was spent here in this house. My Mum, Dad, Sister Caroline and her family came to stay. We cranked up the wholly inadequate heating and filled all the sparish rooms with blow up beds - even the office in the cellar.

On Christmas afternoon after a fabulous dinner we all gathered - me, Caroline, Gary, Mum, Dad, Alex, Camilla, Gaynor, Holly, and Frank and Joan - in the upstairs lounge and had an afternoon concert. Everyone did a turn. Holly put on a puppet show, Alex played his violin, Frank recited a poem, and I sang a version of ‘What do we do with a drunken sailor’ substituting the names of all around until everyone had been covered and made a fool of. I made it up as I went along – it was a triumph!

All very A Christmas Carol - but such fun.

This Christmas will be a little quieter I guess. Mum and Dad are in Australia, I haven’t seen Caroline, Gary and family for a while, and poor old Frank (the eternal soldier) died a few years back. It’ll just be me, Gaynor, Holly and Joan.

But we’ll have some fun I hope.

Maybe I’ll get the puppets out anyway.