Chapter 117 : Christmas Day

Christmas Day arrives bringing perfect weather. Our house wakens from the peace and quiet sensing an approaching hoard.    

My grandchildren arrive and see a Christmas tree surrounded by presents and unwrap their smiles. The presents irresistibly attract them. They pick them up, feel them, smell them and rattle them until told, “Leave them alone.”

We all gather in the lounge room, surrounding the tree. Bruce and Gertrude are anointed. They pick up presents; read the name and then give the presents out.  

I watch the reactions. I focus on the presents that I have wrapped. I hope I get asked to explain a present.

The kids unwrap their presents and occasionally say the right thing which is, “Just what I always wanted.”

We sit and nibble on mince pies and short bread holding a pile of new batteries. The new batteries find a purpose and a pile of used wrapping paper becomes bigger than the original pile of presents.

Behind us our table is adorned with a table cloth, cutlery, napkins, glasses and bonbons. It awaits food and people.

The hifi plays Christmas carols.

Smells emanate from the kitchen predicting roast meat and vegetables, gravy and stuffing. One of my daughters is given the job of filling everybody’s glass with something to drink. To be given that job suggests you know all about drinks. I’m not sure if this is a job to aspire towards.  

Desert consists of pavlova with fresh berries, cream and brandy butter.

After eating I follow in the tradition. I say, “I’ve over eaten,” then lie down and snooze.

I dream about the Christmas tradition of gluttony. This tradition began in days when food was never excess or convenient. Special occasions were special because you saved up food and put aside food and looking forward to eating and feasting upon unusual and special foods. 

Today we live in a different society.  For most of us food is never dreamed of or difficult to get. Our problem is excess food and over eating. Not empty cupboards and longed for food.

During the lunch I heard people talk about calories, diets, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fats, gluten and organic. Nobody celebrated when seeing lashings of food. Nobody ate ravishingly.

Most of the talk was about a year ending, a year beginning or holidays.

Gertrude tells me what class she has just finished. How good it feels to finish grade 4 and to go to grade 5. Her mother tells me she has had her last day of work. She is now on holidays which she well and truly earned and deserves.

I am mute. I can’t say I have finished one year and earned my break. Being retired there is no finish line. It goes on and on and on. Never changing or graduating, progressing or moving up. I can’t review my year and proclaim that next year will be better.

Bruce tells me what class he will be in next year. Which room he will be in. Who his teacher will be and what friends will be in his class. He is getting older and bigger.

When I was younger Christmas Day was a day of religious celebration. We went to church and celebrated spiritually. Today some people still see Christmas as a religious celebration.

For our family, in 2018, it is not a day for religious celebration. But it is special day. It is a day for celebrating family, friends and community. 

If I gaze at all my previous Christmas days they have varied. There were days when friends and the local community took the place of a distant family. Days I spent with other strays or orphans.

Today I spare a moment thinking about such people. People who for various reasons find themselves alone or lonely on Christmas day.   And there are people in Hobart behaving like Christ. They are inviting orphans to their homes for lunch or working at community lunches. There are people who see Christmas as a time to celebrate in our community with our community.