A Tale of Two Christmasses (Christmas in General)

Member Name: FairyG

Product:	Christmas in General
Date:	24/12/08 (123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Playing with my granddaughters and their new toys.

Disadvantages: More food than I can eat!

This time last year (lunchtime Christmas Eve) I was wearing a t-shirt and drinking cappuccino and eating Maltese pasties with my husband at a pavement cafe in the baroque splendor of Valletta, the capital of Malta.

The long main street was beautifully festooned with Christmas lights which formed a glittering avenue when lit up in the evening. People of all races meandered around the shops and museums and horse-drawn carriages carried people around on a tour of the city.

In the evening, we dressed up and went for a five-course gala dinner in our hotel in Sliema. Sliema is a busy little tourist town, that does Christmas seriously. The streets were all lit up and lampposts had speakers playing carols. Malta just glitters at Christmas. That evening, after the holidaymakers had finished their dinners, the staff got ready to serve a 1am breakfast to the Maltese, who have a tradition of going to midnight mass then all piling into the hotel restaurants for a very early breakfast feast.

Christmas morning, we spent sitting on the roof of the hotel, enjoying the sun (there's no beach in Sliema). Then we had a delicious buffet Christmas lunch, overlooking the bay. The staff were all shattered of course, after their late night, but still did a wonderful job of cheerfully serving up our meal.

After that it was a walk along the seafront. Nothing was open of course - the Maltese were enjoying their own Christmas - so it was just a time to slow down and relax.

One Boxing day, gales were starting to blow, and enormous waves were crashing along the seafront. It seemed a good time to spend the day in the hotel spa! In the evening, local carol singers came and performed a carol concert in the hotel.

Everything was there: Christmas trees, lights, fantastic food, carols, and presents we'd brought with us. So why didn't it feel like Christmas? We both came to the conclusion that it was because our families were missing. We both come from big families, so Christmasses have usually been very busy with visiting, people popping in, and in years past when the children were younger, big parties.

This year I've been busy setting my table for tomorrow. I've got silver voile on the table over a white tablecloth, glass candlesticks with white candles, and a grey pearlescent dinner service I got from The Pier sale a few months a go. It looks fantastic. I'm listening to Billie Holliday and Nat King Cole sing Christmas songs.

The turkey is defrosting in the fridge, and I'm sure the cat can already smell it, as he's started haunting the kitchen looking hopeful. The tree is decorated with robins, owls, apples and pears, and also with an ancient Snoopy who's been on every tree I've decorated with my husband since we got married. It's a tradition now and he has to be on there somewhere.

Tomorrow my daughter and her family will be coming over in the afternoon. I expect I'll spend most of the time on the floor with my three year old twin granddaughters and their Disney Princess singing/talking kitchen and throne. As it goes dark I might well be expected to play hide and seek with torches (their favourite game at the moment), and the added thrill of new Disney princess walkie talkies! For tea we'll eat the usual Christmas fare: trifle, cake, turkey sandwiches etc, and also some glamorous looking ice-cream stars I discovered in Aldi.

After that we'll all pile in the car and visit the in-laws for a family gathering, more present opening, and probably more cake and other nibbles until we're all groaning. (I've already visited my own Dad, who will be with other family members on Christmas day, and I've taken flowers to the cemetery for Mum).

On Boxing day, we'll probably do what we've often done, which is go for a walk in the nearby country park , feed the ducks, and eat mince pies in the cafe. If the weather's dry enough, we'll take the twins with their new trikes. Later, we'll head for the cinema to see Australia.

It's a much less extravagant Christmas than last year. I've scoured the shops for the best bargains, and of course I've done some of my shopping on Amazon with Dooyoo vouchers! But I've come to the conclusion that the best thing about Christmas is having your family or friends around you and following your own familiar traditions. This year it already feels like a real Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Summary: It's not money that matters - it's family.