Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Christmas this year was exceptionally quiet..for once, I didn't even feel as 'Christmassy' as I normally would! The usual excitement of ringing Sam up to decide what to wear, what time to meet, the program line-up was no longer what it used to be. Instead, it got reduced to a "what time we were going to meet at Benny's place after our individual parties" (to meet the rest of the guys) and a simply family (read: Potluck) dinner on Christmas Day!
Gone were the days when me and Sam would wear similar theme clothes, put up performances, rehearse our dance steps few weeks prior to Xmas, draw up a long wish list, psyche up the younger kids about santa claus coming to drop their christmas gifts under the tree, dance with our parents all night long, sing christmas carols so loud that it will overpower the neighbours's celebrations. I guess that's what happens when most of our family are settled in other parts of the world, and others get married. The celebrations no longer get bigger. Its quite a pity for the younger cousins now though - that they don't get to experience my christmas celebrations when I was their age. When uncle Chris Arthur would dress up as santa claus and make his special appearance at 12midnight with a bagful of pressies.
Me and Sam finally came to a conclusion during coffee - Maybe this Christmas spirit in the Bounaparte family will revive once we get married and settle in our new homes, when the younger generation (Dan / James / Faith / Tiff / Nicky ) grows older.. we can start inviting them and their partners over for gatherings, sing christmas songs, laugh over silly performance by our children. Maybe then the spark will come back. But for now, its holding on to that good memories - where turkey stuffing always taste extra good, ripping presents apart starts at 12.01am , 25th December, everyone's deck in their nicest outfits...
