Category Archives: December 2021 – Christmas

Secret Santa’s Secret

Posted on by under 2021, December 2021 - Christmas

Alice arrived late for the third time that week. Just my luck, she thought, as she saw the boss talking to the receptionist. She saw him glance at his watch, but to her surprise, he seemed to ignore her. She hurried on up to the office.

Dan heard the door opening and automatically looked at his watch and then towards the door.  Noticing it was the new girl, a blush rose up.  He quickly lowered his glance and continued his previous conversation.

The office was in pandemonium as everything was behind schedule for the Children’s Christmas Party.  Alice redeemed herself by offering to stay late and help out with the colouring sheets packs.

Everything had to be right for tomorrow. It was the first year that Dan had been in charge since his Dad retired, he couldn’t let the firm down.  He worked later than usual to make sure that there was nothing that could go wrong.

Alice would have been in tears if her anger hadn’t been so focussed on the Gestetner Duplicator.  She swore at it as it gobbled up yet another one of the copies into its internal workings.  It was all she could do to stop herself kicking the damn thing.

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Stopping the Santa Invasion

Posted on by under 2021, December 2021 - Christmas
Female protestor in front of Season's Greetings banner

After the speeches, people drifted away from the demonstration, some still wearing outfits representing the main focus of their complaint.

Having responsibly abandoned their placards, a group of five in search of food and drink settled themselves in the Hog’s Head and placed their orders.

These were veteran activists. They had witnessed mounted police moving through the crowds at the poll tax rebellions; they had collective memories of the ‘not in my name’ protests; they had stood with the miners during the long strike; two could even look back to the anti-apartheid rugby protests in 1969. Between them they had been kettled, abused, arrested and beaten.

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On Christmas Eve

Posted on by under 2021, December 2021 - Christmas
Woman on bench with dog and a ghostly man

Mitzi nudged Helen’s leg, breaking her out of her reverie. Sighing, Helen collected the lead, her coat and the little booties they had bought the previous year to protect her little paws in the icy weather.

The front door opening, a shiver ran down her back as the cold wind hit her. As Helen looked down, Mitzi pulled her out of the door. Everything sparkled, little diamonds shone on trees and hedgerows, houses were all lit up. There were Christmas trees in windows, and families gathered together playing games, and laughing together.

Helen took their usual walk through the village, stopping to sit a moment on their usual bench. The pond glistened and ducks, all warm in their nest, murmured to each other. Mitzi started pulling, jumping excitedly, looking across Hubert who was sat there.

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The Curse of the Christmas Songs

Posted on by under 2021, December 2021 - Christmas

‘It’s day three hundred and sixty of the kids singing and the band playing, and I’m starting to wish it wasn’t Christmas every day,’ I said, my paper hat falling down over my eyes. ‘I’d feel rude sending my family home though.’

Sombre nods spread around the circle, everyone at the Christmas Song Support Group feeling my pain.

‘I hear you,’ said Bethan. ‘When the first partridge in a pear tree arrived, I thought, how romantic. But by day six, my neighbour with the bird phobia had called the police. It was the twelve drummers drumming that got me evicted. I didn’t have the heart to tell my true love that it was too much.’

Daniel was the longest-standing member. Every year without fail, he gave away his heart only to have it cruelly given away on Boxing Day. Despite his resolutions to give it to someone special next time, it inevitably happened again.

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Kids

Posted on by under 2021, December 2021 - Christmas

The orange-acned teenager read part of the letter to me: ‘Fit to go back to work.’

       Fit? Twelve months of depression after being passed over for the headship at Ysgol Milton Friedman. That went to a kid with a face on him like a lamb sucking on its mother’s teat. Not to the school’s deputy head, with proven management skills garnered from thirty years teaching. ‘The successful candidate has more energy,’ I was told. Meaning obvious: Phillips, you’re too old at fifty-four.

       Shortly after came melancholy and lethargy. The GP prescribed anti-depressants. She was a kid too, fresh out of doctors’ college.

       It got worse. My wife, Sandra, left. Told me my moodiness would try the patience of an angel, plus she’d met a nice, younger man. That word was like a knife in my heart. Soon after, an overdose of paracetamol. They pumped out my stomach and I’m in the bin, sectioned. Four blurred weeks.

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On the twenty-fifth day

Posted on by under 2021, December 2021 - Christmas

Michael Noach was lighting a candle on his hanukkiah in the window of his small terrace when he heard a crash and someone crying out. Instinctively, he reached for the phone next to his window but stilled his hand when he heard a second cry, this time clearly coming from the back. He stood still, stroking his beard, pondering his actions. Another yell. He could not ignore a human in pain, so he picked up the torch he kept by the back door and peered outside.

“Is anyone there?”

“Oh shit,” said a voice. He shone the beam in that direction. There, on the ground, was a teenage boy, his foot at an oblique angle to his leg.

“Hold still,” urged Noach as he hurried across the yard, “I’ll help you up.”

“I think I’ve broken it.”

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