As a child I remember Christmas being very much set in stone and merging together, with only two years being completely different and therefore more memorable. We normally stayed at home and had my mum's parents around for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with my uncle to stay for the whole 3 days. There was 1 year when I was five or six, when we went to their house, and one year when I was eight, when we went to stay with Dad's parents for a week. They were very pleasant years, and there are very good memories, although some are from things that people have told me, rather than ones I remember. Like the year my grandad made me a dolls house and I had managed to rip the front door off by the end of the day.
The strangest Christmas I remember was the first one after my parents had split up. We went to the grandparents for the day, and had a lovely time and lots of wonderful presents but I remember that it didn't quite feel right. For starters that was the first year that we had to do multiple Christmas lists and find ways amidst the normal routine to try and see Dad. Overall, my least favourite.
The addition of a long term boyfriend also caused a change, the first 2 years we did our own thing, and from the third year onwards we have stuck together, just moving about the different houses as necessary. My brother always said that my OH had a certain look about him on Christmas Day, which was normally resigned and tired; a look that I have tried not too successfully to eradicate.
But now my Christmas's are completely different, and rather than things being over in 1 day, the holiday lasts for many days, as we try to fit in all the different parents. Being married to someone whose parents are also divorced, means that you do get 4 different days to celebrate, and normally 4 different ways to celebrate. Each different year now sticks out clearly to me. And though I do look back in fondness at the childhood rituals, I enjoy this prolonging of the season and the festive spirit just a little bit more. Though less driving would be prefered, thank you!
Love Elliefantasy xxx
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