Thursday 26 December 2013

Let Joy Commence...



On Christmas morning it is the silence that is most noticeable.  The ebb and flow of daily traffic ceases, chattering passersby fail to appear, even the distant rumble from the bypass is missing. A passing car, heading for gran's or aunties, disturbs the peace.  A dog barks cheerily while chasing a ball thrown by a walker forced away from gifts and wrapping paper.  High above cruising at 35,000 feet an aircraft glints in the morning sun as it makes its way to the Americas.  No other sound is heard.  A wretched, badly dressed man urges his aged bicycle along the road.  A miserable looking creature, the man not the bike, creaking along, his bones not the bike, breaking the peace.  There are none to see me as I pass.  The torrents of rain that fell on Christmas Eve have moved on, the air is clear, aided by the absence of cars and planes, damp streets glisten, but the streets remain unusually silent.  Church doors were opening after ten, a car here and there arrived, many walked slowly, dressed for church.  Fewer than in times past but usually, if not always, aware of what the day means.  Behind the doors many have been awake for hours!  A mound of discarded paper litters many a floor, dad's struggle to fit batteries into machinery far to complicated for one their age, give it to the child and it will work in minutes!  Mum's fuss with their hair, the kids, the dinner and the booze she wants to open early, but not in that order.  Lonely people stare at mind sapping TV, made worse at Christmas by sentimental claptrap or blonde brainless bimbos excited by nothing at all.  

Four hundred miles to the north my family, well some of them, gather for their dinner.  Presents will open, dinner will be eaten, drink will be guzzled, by the men certainly, and much laughter will ensue.  I myself had prepared well in advance rather than leave things to the last minute. The main part of my Indian Christmas dinner was put in the freezer, the rest in the fridge.  Cake and puddings were placed in appropriate places and all was ready.  Naturally I forgot until the 25th to remove said dinner from freezer and had to make do and mend like I normally do!  Bah!  Still I am now stuffed full of nan and chicken something or other with lashes of rice, and cheesecake, which contains no cheese I note.  
The loss of the dinner was made worse when certain important internet connections failed. Even worse I had become once again hooked on the intellectually challenged game 'Bouncing Balls,' and the entire 'MindJolt' site was down!  No football occurred and TV was dire.  The last Christmas I spent with friends on the coast and pangs of desire for such company grew as each new disaster fell upon me.  However some golden moments appeared to brighten the day.  BBC 2's 'Music of the Monarchy,' with the outstandingly arrogant David Starkey is one!  Brilliant TV from the racist Englishman!  Super music and listening to him is so interesting but really you just want to slap him don't you?  However late that night I searched for Radio 4 Excelling itself with an hour of 'With Great Pleasure,' where John Lloyd, the man who has brought some of the great comedies to us, gives us an hour of his favourite stuff, huge fun and laughter I say!  This is a must listen!  

Life will return to normal tomorrow.  'Argos,' was shut on Christmas Day, something that was so unusual I stopped and stared as I passed.  How did such a commercial enterprise become named after a long gone Greek city anyway? One or two other opened today but not many.  The supermarkets did a 'Sunday service' for those starving after yesterdays feasting.  Tomorrow the streets return to near normality and households everywhere pile up the paper for recycling.  I will go back to soup and bread with leftover cake...... 

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7 comments:

Unknown said...

It sounds like the old bandy-legged coot of a Scot is still in there somewhere. When he fully emerges again, balance will be restored to the universe, and laughter can be heard without worry of what is really going on.

Carol said...

I love your description of Christmas Day ~ it is real and comes to life as I read it.
Drat and golly gosh when those websites go down ~ one of our biggest retailers here in AUS had problems with their website over Christmas and Boxing Day ~ you could almost cry for their lost millions they didn't sell.

alan1704 said...

What a great day Christmas is, everyone has to stop. We had a usual family Christmas, turkey, Ham, plum pudding and laughs. We watched Downton Abbey, only to be interrupted by the house a few doors down, where two much Christmas cheer erupted in the family having a 'set to' in the street. All part of the rich tapestry of life.

the fly in the web said...

The three supermarkets in town were open on Christmas Day...but for reduced hours...only from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm....

Adullamite said...

Jerry, Hopefully soon, but I am not sure I really know what's going on......

Carol, How I feel for them.....'giggle'

Alan, You have the best neighbours! I hope the camera came out?

Fly, Greedy shopkeepers? Was one a Tesco?

Jenny Woolf said...

Maybe you need a Turkish supermarket near you. It would stay open on Christmas Day and you would be able to buy yogurt, humous and other festive fare, admittedly not that nice but better than a frozen Indian dinner! Still, it sounds as if you appreciated the peace and quiet.
I don't understand about Argos's name either and I have sometimes wondered.

Lee said...

Well, I had a very pleasant Christmas Day. A good friend came up from the coast and spent Christmas with me...we just talked and laughed our heads off as we grazed through the day on platters of hors d'oeuvres, cheeses and fruit while sipping on a few thirst-quenching beverages. An enjoyable, leisurely day, and night was had. And that was the plan.

Looking at all the food still in my fridge...I'll be grazing well into the New Year!