TIS THE FIRST OF DECEMBER, OH JOLLY GOLLY! I love December, I just love it. The sunny winter days, the chilly mornings, and best of all... CHRISTMAS! Whoever knows me, even at a superficial level, knows that I am a peter pan at heart. I don't want to grow up, at least not an in some levels. I never want to lose the ability of getting so excited and happy with the little things of life, of being able to be silly whenever I feel like it, of walking in public wearing kitty ears or other childish accessories, of kicking the pills of leafs in the street, of just... I don't love, loving life, or connecting with the world, reality and others in a non adult manner. This doesn't mean I´m not mature or grown up in an intellectual or personal level, it just means I like to face reality with a different attitude, and I don't feel like I should be bound by society's concept of what an adult woman looks and acts like. I just never want to lose the ability to dream and just be spontaneous. It might sound silly to you, but it's just the way it is for me. That being said, I´m sure it doesn't come as a surprise that I tend to love the holidays. Easter, halloween, Carnaval (it's a kind of holiday celebrated in some countries, where people dress up and play pranks on each other), but my favourite two are without a doubt my birthday and xmas! Now my birthday is special for obvious reasons, it is everybody's special day where people should be extra loved and taken care of by friends and family.
But christmas... I was lucky enough to have grown rooted in a very united and caring family (although that isn't the case, nowadays). I don't specially mean my parents, but the wider side of the family. I have two younger brothers, and for a very long time, we were the only babies in the family, and therefore everybody tended to us and wanted to make us feel loved and special. Christmases were just magical. We all got together, my parents, brothers with my mother's side of the family (godparents, grandparents and uncles) in my grandparents house for a great big party. There were Christmas films, and delicious food, christmas decorations and lights... My grandfather was a doctor (he is still alive, but has retired nowadays) and his patients used to bring him loads of christmas delicious cakes and seasonal treats that added to the party. My favourite one was always the christmas log (I don't know if you have it in other countries, it is a very delicious cake covered in chocolate frosting). Anyway, here's have I loved the most about it. At 11 pm, we all went down to the basement (where my grandfathers medical practice was) and we deposited just one shoe wherever we wanted to. Then, close to midnight, one of my family members would ring the bell, and mayhem would ensue. IT'S SANTA CLAUS U GUYS, HE'S COMING! Me and my brothers would die of excitement, and just run around like maniacs. Then some members of our family would usher us to an unused room, and we would wait there with them, as santa placed presents downstairs and ate the plate of stuff we left them (not milk and cookies, more like pastries, and cake and a bunch of random seasonal stuff and a chalice of port wine!). Lastly, before he left, he would always come to the door of the room we were, and talk to us from the other side of the door. He would address us personally, asking us if we were god and had behaved well all year long (this was usually my grandfather, in a very deep voice): VANESSA... HAVE YOU BEEN A GOOD KID THIS YEAR? HAVE YOU ALWAYS DONE WHAT YOU WERE TOLD, WERE GOOD TO YOUR PARENTS AND BROTHERS, AND BEHAVED WELL? And I would answer in a very low, scared and excited, shriekly kind of voice: Yes, Santa...! He did the same to my brothers, said bye bye, and off he went! I remember than once, after he was gone, and I´m not making this up, I looked out the window and saw his snow-sleigh flying away, and even heard the bells jingling! Looking at it nowadays, I think I believed in Santa so much, that I actually saw this through the power of imagination! Or maybe it was just christmas magic! I can still remember it to this day, like if it was an actual memory! Awww, happy times!
I don't tend to post about very intimal things on this blog (I use my LJ for that), but happy memories are meant to be shared and not kept private.
I love christmas to this day. I love the christmas songs playing everywhere (on the radio, supermarkets, shops...), the colourful lights and decorations on streets and shop windows, the christmas films on tv... I love going out to Lisbon's downtown, in a chilly december afternoons, and just browse the shops for christmas gifts, and walk around town, marvelling at the christmas lights... I love choosing and picking perfect presents for my family & friends, and seeing their faces as they open them... And of course, I love receiving presents and surprise as well (who doesn't???). Some people look at christmas as a religious holiday, or an ode to consumerism... For me, it tis the season to be jolly, to be extra kind to other people, and just to let the child inside your heart come out and be merry!
And I am preparing a small but very thoughtful early christmas present for you all! The next post will be mine "have a very batty christmas!" playlist, featuring my favourite christmas songs! It contains all the ingredients for a very gothmas mood, christmas songs by alternative bands, some of yee old classics, some soundtracks from films that have a chrismasy feeling about them, and even a couple electronic tracks! Soon to be posted :D Keep an eye out for it!
I feel the exact same thing as you about Christmas! :-) Most people find that odd, since I'm not a religious person (I'm not atheist but rather agnostic). But it's the childhood memories of Christmas'nights well-spent with family (most from my mother's side), talking and telling stories about their childhood, eating coscoroes <3 and seeing relatives I wouldn't see throughout the year..
ReplyDeleteRecent years haven't been so great, mostly because my cousins are now married with kids and some Christmas are spent with their 'inlaws' so it's harder to have a full table as it used to be.. My mom has 5 siblings, all married with at least 1 child (often 2) so it would be at least 15 at the table..good times! :-)
Bom Natal!!
I just wrote a huge reply and it didn't come through, blaaah! Simplified version:
ReplyDeleteI was saying that I didn't know you were in the blogsphere also :D I´m not a religious person also (though I see myself as spiritual, and have my own beliefs), but I feel that today christmas has surpassed the religious holiday status. And i´m so glad you got to enjoy happy xmases growing up :D Those memories last forever!
As I said, my xmas haven't been great lately also, due disagreements in the family, but I hope to recover the magic of the past when I have my own kids, somewhere along the future :P MERRY XMAAAAAAAAASSSSS for you too :D
Yeah, I had/have a blog, It's a huge mess! lol I started using it as sort of an archive for urls I liked since I didn't have a computer at that time..
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