Before Christmas the children in St.Brigid’s interviewed their grown ups about Christmas when they were young.
They remembered. ‘Trying to be good. Asking for a surprise. Letters to Santa being sent up the chimney (not advised nowadays) or by post to the North Pole. Shouting up the chimney to Santa. Counting the days on the Advent calendar’.
‘Making a wish when stirring the Christmas cake mixture. Putting a few pennies in the plum pudding mix. The moving crib. Making paper chains. Midnight mass. It was great going out so late! Going to Mass in new clothes. Leaving Santa something to eat and drink. Spiced beef’.
‘Being excited and finding it hard to get to sleep. Trying to stay awake to see Santa! The wind whistling in the chimney made me afraid in case I would be awake and Santa wouldn’t leave presents. The excitement of waking up early to see what Santa had brought. Big thick colouring books and markers and spending the day happily colouring in. I wish I was a little girl again!’
‘A family time. Seeing all the family together in one place. A special dinner with turkey, roast potatoes, brussels sprouts and gravy. Christmas pudding for dessert. Selection boxes. We didn’t get sweets every day back then. We had no TV! Christmas simpler then. It’s very commercialised now. But it’s better now because I have children!’
