Categories: uncategorized
Date: 22 December 2008 08:10:40
It's been nice to begin to feel a bit more Christmassy, although the house still looks far from it and I am rather overwhelmed by the prospect of getting it so before Wednesday.
Saturday saw us going overseas for the Ship of Fools New Forest Christmas dinner, which was rather fun. We left the car here on the carpark - an adventure in itself as the first machine on the carpark refused to take my money and the second machine was rather beserk. It took my money and issued me five million tickets, most of the blank, but one with some sort of hint of ink wafted across it. Still, we now have five million stickers off the back entitling us to 2 for 1 at the Needles, to be used by the end of 2008.
We met with several good friends (including a rather small new one who's stolen my heart - and who nearly got swapped for a Smudgelet who, while nobody else will have noticed, spent most of his day trying to make it clear to me how angry he was feeling and how much he wanted to spoil the day - bless his cotton socks), drank coffee, sang Christmas carols and consumed far too much good food in excellent company.
Yesterday was mostly taken over by a) an even angrier and less cooperative Smudgelet and, much nicer by far, b) two nativity plays and dinner out with Honorary Auntie M. The first Nativity play was at church - the Sunday school children did the story of the birth of Christ as told by an angel. Yes, the Smudgelet was dressed as an angel - though the minister did question the appropriateness of the halo! (I can't say I particularly enjoyed this service as the Smudgelet was in such a foul mood and keps shooting me such evil looks that I was rather glad when it was all over and we could go home).
The second Nativity was wonderful. The building of a new Village Square led to a meeting about what to do at Christmas as the flagpole stand was to be used for a Christmas tree holder and they wondered whether to do something special to celebrate. And the end result was quite exciting - almost a week's worth of events with carol singing, lantern processions, morris dancing and brass bands etc, culminating in yesterday's special event, a DIY nativity with members of the community being called upon to take part and dress up, miming to the narration, to the accompaniment of carol singing led by the British Legion brass band. Brilliant! The Smudgelet was called upon to play the part of the youngest shepherd boy and my toy lamb (a present from a young man in France when I was an impressionable teenager *blush*) got to take part as the lamb placed in front of (IN FRONT, SMUDGELET, NOT BEHIND) the manger. (Aside for Ship people: The ad lib acting actually reminded me terribly of the Ship of Fools Nativity Play, especially when the Angel Gabriel failed to turn up!) There were mince pies and mulled wine and a rather unstable stable and the children from the local nursery sang Away in a Manger. It couldn't have been nicer. Well, it could have been a bit warmer, I suppose, but perhaps that's asking a bit much! People came away discussing how good it would be to have a Passion Play in the village this Easter.....
Sadly the Smudgelet again managed to take the edge of it afterwards with a further spiral of bad behaviour. I can udnerstand where it's coming from, but the relentlessness of it is incredibly wearing when I'm struggling to get into the Christmas spirit properly myself. I'd appreciate some prayers for my angry young man to find some positive ways to dissipate his anger and for me to have the patience and strength to deal with it in the most productive ways as I've seen the damage that anger can do.
Still, for now a total rollocking from his Honorary Auntie Margaret - something he's never witnessed before - resulted in a rather nice young man being around for our evening meal at one of our favourite eating places, and I'm looking forward to the same young man coming with us to visit the Man In Red later today....