We might all be overshadowed by the Coronavirus, with whatever variant is lurking out there but we are determined to be positive. And we are determined to have a better Christmas this year.
We were indeed determined to strike a proactive blow against moping around this Christmas. This, as some know, a year on from losing Rachel’s mum on Christmas Day 2020.
Our antidote? Our original intention was to invite loads of local people in for lunch on Christmas Day, with elderly folk at the luncheon club which we help at. However, things got scaled back , mainly because of Covid lurking around in the village and beyond. So in the end we invited my mum and another Margaret (think Joyce Grenfell and you won’t go far wrong) who knew Rachel’s mum. We also invited our loyal friend Avril (who knows everything and everyone in the village) and her two daughters. Add Hannah, who has just returned from the south coast, plus ourselves and you have a nice mixture of people.
The best china was washed, as was the best cutlery. Rachel and I cooked the usual for Christmas lunch – roast parsnips, pigs in blankets, turkey, roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots and a veggie something for myself. We followed it with the homemade Christmas pudding with custard which Rachel had made. The result? Absolutely perfect. The conversations flowed, nobody dominated and we were able to gently steer so everyone felt comfortable to share plenty.
Just before we ate, I thanked everyone for being brave and accepting our invitation. I said grace, I reflected on how we should spare a thought for those who are less fortunate and especially for those where absent friends left a space in our hearts.
I am so thankful this all came together alright, Rachel wasn’t quite so sure. Our five burner gas hob has been playing up since we bought it – on Christmas Day we found we were down to just two working burners. A week ago the dining room was a mess with bare floor boards and a cold, empty feel. We had furniture dotted around the house, including a bookcase positioned so you almost had to turn sideways to go to the downstairs toilet, a light hanging off the wall with a live wire dangling in mid air. Our friend Jeff came and laid the new carpet on Monday; this was a huge step forward, a gigantic step. After that things just fell into place quite easily in spite of the faint smell of wet paint, the defective gas horn, the clutter swept out of sight and the quickly composed “we’re confident” look on our faces.
I love this time of year. As I write this, it is 28th December, one of those funny days in between Christmas and the new year. It might be cold, dreary and dark outside but these days I love the cosiness of winter. I love allowing my thoughts to wander as I mull memories of this last year. We have had some highs and lows where we have been seriously worried about one or two things.
I look forward to the year ahead and all that it might bring. Needless to say I’m always hopelessly optimistic and I always hope to do far more than I realistically achieve but it’s still nice to try. Now we are more on top of the house, we can pick up some hobbies which have been on hold since we’ve been here. For me it is art, writing and photography, plus getting our teeth into U3A and some other things here in the village. I’d like to try my hand at making a few things out of wood, although I have much to learn.
I would like to say a few things about church. We still attend our church in Dunstable and this will continue. I have been struck at how we are being drawn into the small Christian community here in the village, or at least into one branch of a larger network of fellow believers. Not only has a warm hand of friendship been extended to us but I feel we are taken seriously here. I cannot agree with everything the Anglican Church practices these days and yet it is important to be counted as part of the local Christian community.