Tales from Falsidehill

Sproutless

Well, apart from forgetting to cook the Brussels sprouts and the sweetcorn, our first time cooking Christmas dinner went really well. I have to admit though that James pretty much took charge of the whole event and I was more like a waitress but it worked out fine that way. The food was yummy!

It felt like quite a subdued Christmas really. My family aren’t very overindulgent, which is a good quality, but it meant that I was left with lots of desserts and alcohol which is really not good. There wasn’t really any drinking going on (although my mum got a bit merry and I have the pictures to prove it). Not even James was drinking because he was still taking antibiotics for his mouth infection but at least he was feeling well enough to actually eat!

My nana did really well considering this is the first Christmas without my grandad. She cried when she opened my present to her though because my grandad wasn’t there to see it. I feel distracted by my nana when she visits because I’m acutely aware that she can’t hear most of the conversation going on around her. I just know that she feels left out and I feel bad because there’s nothing I can do about it. I used to feel that way about my gran too; she couldn’t see or hear, and I spent most birthdays and Christmases just worrying about her, wondering if she was having a good time. I don’t know why I’m like that; it’s a bit of a useless thing to be like, especially since it distracts me from what’s going on with everyone else.

It was strange being the hosts for the first time. You want to make sure people have a good time but there’s only so much you can do, and you have to leave your guests to their own devices a lot of the time when you’re cooking. I’m just not sure what it is that makes people have a good time. Is it just the people? Is it getting tipsy? Is it playing games? I think it helps when you have the right ‘ambience’ in the house but apart from that, I suppose people have to be ‘up for it’ – whatever ‘it’ is. I did make mulled wine for when people first arrived but I don’t really know if anyone was that impressed. I always remember my first Christmas away from home at my sister-in-law’s house. When I first set foot in the house on Christmas Eve, there was this gorgeous smell of mulled wine, and the house was full of Christmas warmth. I don’t even know how she did it. It was just so deliciously Christmassy and I’ve always remembered it, so I want to create that for people too.