Christmas Club

Say, are you ready to play? It's Christmas Club Day! The final meeting of the year. Already? I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Last week I showed a picture of two little girls in their best party dresses; and that reminded me of another Christmas photo of that same pair in their special festive trouser suits.

We're going back at least another year here, maybe two, to when they were still living in the city and so a big family party was the thing to look forward to on Christmas night.

At Christmas we

think about the company of the people we love most in the world, and about how faces can appear and disappear and reappear over the years, and how sometimes it all works out and everyone comes together, and sometimes there's a dear face we miss, or a plan which doesn't work out; but, at the end of it all, simply being able to say It's good to see you to an unexpected arrival is enough to turn the whole thing round.

Our student arrived home yesterday. We went to the airport and I did all the right things. You would have been proud of me. I held myself back from running towards him, screaming Mummy's special little boy and throwing my arms round his knees. I decided against handing out Santa hats and false beards, so he'd know it was us. And I remembered not to tell him to give his dad his suitcase. Not manly. So I think he was pleased to see us. He'd emailed ahead, requesting potato based meals. "We've only eaten potatoes this term when I've cooked them. Doesn't the rest of the world eat potatoes like we do?" he said. I think you know the answer to that one, son.

But at least this year we'll all be eating. It's a few years ago since the famous food poisoning perplexation of '98. I'll spare you most of the details, but you're welcome to use your imaginations. I passed out, ended up in hospital on a drip, leaving two small children and a quite-sick-himself husband, home alone. Sometimes everything looks set to be perfect, other times..

Whatever they hooked me up to was strange stuff. I'm not sure that I'd like to try it again. I imagined the children coming to visit me, heard them running up the ward, calling to me. I got home in time for Christmas dinner. just. Was that the year Uncle Dave washed all the dishes?

Did someone say Uncle Dave? He's flying in tomorrow and we're all looking forward to seeing him. He knows it. As Uncle Dave himself used to be fond of saying when his niece and nephew would eye his  back-home-for-Christmas suitcase expectantly:

Your present?

Your present..................

.............is my presence.

I'm very much hoping there's a presence who's a present for all of you this week. Merry Christmas!

Come join our Christmas Club. Any story, any Christmassy post welcome. Link us up! Last chance this year...