| Christmas comes but once a year, fortunately, even if | | | | usually enjoyed a game of bridge. |
| that makes me sound like Scrooge! | | | | Stockings were put out at the foot of the bed on |
| It has really lost much of its charm, thanks to retailers | | | | Xmas Eve for Santa to fill with fruit & nuts to |
| chasing the almighty dollar. | | | | keep kids quiet for some time the next day. |
| As a kid in the '50's I recall it was a magic time. As I | | | | Most of the gifts in those days were home made, or |
| had been sent from Ceylon to boarding school in | | | | at least modestly priced, as there were no credit |
| Scotland, I spent my school holidays with my Aunt in | | | | cards then. Much time was spent in thinking what |
| the country outside Glasgow. | | | | would be appropriate for the people you were |
| She bustled around for several weeks before Xmas | | | | proposing to give a gift to, followed by careful |
| making the cake & icing it, making various | | | | shopping around, with considerable time spent on |
| sweetmeats & the pudding, ordering some luxury | | | | wrapping the item and composing a carefully worded |
| groceries by phone from a friend in Glasgow who | | | | card addressed to the recipient. |
| owned an upmarket shop, boiling the ham and making | | | | These days little thought often seems to be given to |
| arrangements to obtain a pheasant, salmon, or other | | | | what gifts might be most appropriate for a person. |
| special item from various locals, who I suspect may | | | | Often shopping is left to the last minute, with items |
| have been poachers! I helped by licking out the bowls! | | | | hurriedly picked from shelves, paid for by credit card |
| Uncle Tom set up the tree in the sitting room in a | | | | & wrapped by the shop assistant. |
| bucket suitably covered with fancy paper, with pine | | | | As a kid I was a bookworm, but these days, although I |
| boughs spread around under it on which the gifts | | | | still enjoy browsing in bookshops, I have taken to using |
| would be laid & I helped him decorate it. He had | | | | the web to check out the latest offerings from authors |
| spent much time in Germany & Austria before | | | | I enjoy. That is not to say I always purchase online, but |
| WW1 & was strongly influenced by the traditions | | | | I have to admit it saves me much foot slogging. |
| of those countries, which included a quiet family | | | | Naturally Amazon comes to mind, and it receives |
| gathering on Xmas Eve, presenting & opening | | | | several mentions in my blog, as it is not just an online |
| gifts after a light meal, then having guests in or going | | | | bookstore these days. However, search capabilities |
| out to friends for a formal lunch on Xmas Day. | | | | now are such that opportunities are virtually endless. |
| Most evenings included games like rummy, chinese | | | | Just make sure you ignore the seasonal hype & |
| checkers, tiddlewinks or dominoes, as we did not have | | | | keep your credit card under lock & key to ensure |
| TV until after 1960. If guests were visiting, the adults | | | | your New Year is not a poor one! |