I’m making my way home for christmas, with memories swirling around,
Passing carollers, couples and families, making their way to midnight mass near Muswell Hill;
Some of the parishioners have the distinct whiff of pub-crawlers who’ve been turned out at last call!
An eclectic mix to be certain celebrating a common bond,
While I am not of this faith, I find my natural cynicism washed away by a wave of optimism in any case,
Fuelled by a shared heritage that’s crept up on me unexpectedly over time-
I may not be a wide-eyed child any more, my fondest memories tend to still surround:
Turkey, gravy, crispy roast potatoes and stuffing with extra sage please!
Minced pies, Christmas pudding, doused with brandy, and set alight to a gentle blue flame-
Voraciously gouged down with generous dollops of clotted cream!
Accompanied by mulled wine and appetisers, until your stomach literally strains to keep it all in!
Watching the Queen’s annual message at 3:00pm feeling more uncomfortably full than civic;
Followed by the Christmas Movie and the Eastender’s Double Bill, joining in with a collective mock-gasp at the inevitable shocking end!
No, it’s not the food (though, I can’t help but look forward to it);
Or, the memories (which are a mixed bag, if I am honest!);
Or, even, the veneer that comes from reflecting through rose-tinted spectacles, at greener pastures, that weren’t truly green at all,
What I am truly looking forward to this christmas is: to spend some time with my family, and not a mention of work, if I am lucky!!