Christmas Eve.

As a teenager it was my job to make the mince pies while listening to the Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings. Everybody thought the mince pies were great - maybe the music inspired me!

I will be having one or two rubysong thank you. x

for you Gillybob when you finally get to relax at the end of Christmas Day.

Not a medal Ariadne but perhaps I do need my head looking into !

Gillybob or as my nephew would say 'respect!'

And - Gillybob you deserve a medal!

Talking of Christmas Eve...

The Oxen - Thomas Hardy

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
"Now they are all on their knees,"
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearthside ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave
In these years! Yet, I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
"Come; see the oxen kneel

"In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
Our childhood used to know,"
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day extremely hectic in the world of Gillybob ! TBH I look forward to Christmas Day, night, when everyone has gone home. The day itself is always very stressful and hard work as I have my parents, daughter, sister and grandma for dinner complete with wheelchairs, walking frames, toilet problems etc. Added to this I live in a three storey house and my lounge is upstairs. Mum and grandma unable to "do" stairs so we will have to spend the entire day in the dining room with only mum, sister and grandma getting a comfy chair ! Guaranteed grandma will want to go home as soon as dinner is served and DH will spend the day ferrying everyone around. What a life?

I remember being in the maternity home with DS1 (6 days old) getting ready to come home on Christmas Day. The handbell ringers came into the room and stood around my bed playing carols. He was there in his 'fish tank' and slept through all the music. Tomorrow he will be 38.

I will not have DGD and DD and partner for chrismas lunch but will have my elderly mother, however I will have to be cheerful for her (give her a few tots of sherry etc) and hand the chocs around, I will go to see DGD in the morning but as they spend last chrismas with me they will be going to partners family, which is fair but I hope to have them for boxing day. Cant wait.

The only thing I miss at christmas is having a long walk after lunch, my dog has been gone for 7 years now and its not the same going alone and my mother cant walk far but on the weekend afterwards I will probably take DGD out for a long walk in buggy which she loves.

Who says they can't do it now and it's politically incorrect?

I've visited friends in two different London hospitals in the past few days and both places were full of Christmas cheer, carol singers and musicians, etc.

Not likely to be the nurses singing though - probably music students and volunteers.

Patients!!! Can't do it now of course - politically incorrect and far too busy I suppose.

Ah I remember being one of those nurses in my cloak singing carols for the patents - lovely, happy times.

Our son was born at 7.30 am on Christmas Eve, and we shall be going to the local Panto again this year. Oh! Yes we will! He will spend Christmas Day at his home, and if it is fine we shall take a walk along the front.

As a child there was a farm at the bottom of the garden with lovely old barns. My mother, always said on Christmas eve, that if I listened carefully I would hear all the animals talking to each other in English. So I would scrape the ice off the inside of the window so I could see if the animals were all in the barn and then listen.....but I never heard them.

The barns were eventually burned to the ground and a housing estate built. Cosh those barns would be worth a lot today!

Christmas Eve when the children were young was always the same. I would go to mum's with the children, load up the car with her presents, her food contributions and her small red suitcase. We would then drive to the church for the Christingle service and then to our house where mum would stay till the day after boxing day.

I'm planning to take DGSx2 to their first Christingle service this year.

We no longer have animals Rubylady but I remember the love and company they gave us, so no doubt your little doggie will wag his/ her tail at you and say 'Happy Christmas Mum'.

Talking of nurses, when I was 18 years old I had just met my husband-to-be 15 days before Christmas. We went out on Christmas Eve and I was a little worse for wear on rum and blackcurrant. He sat in front of the fire with me, nursing me until I had to get ready for work around 6am. I started on the ward at 7.30 am and was on a ladies ward. I was really looking forward to seeing the patients but when we all arrived, all the ladies were in tears because they wanted to be at home with their families. We had an open day visiting and the sister on the ward opened a side ward and put out a buffet and some drinks for us. She was well known for dipping into the medicine cabinet and helping herself to the medicinal sherry. So not much work got done, we went round the ward with gifts for the ladies and eventually an ok day was had by them. I returned home to see my then 3 year old sister playing with her new toys but had missed her opening them too. Still, a good memory and one Christmas I am glad I have had the honour of.

Christmas Eve is our wedding anniversary. So another excuse for a glass of bubbly, probably while we are peeling the spuds and trying to prep as much of the Christmas dinner as we can, as most of the family arrive Christmas morning.

NanKate I will be on my own (well, 17 year old camped upstairs), DGC nowhere around and I am ill but I am not sad. I will have my darling little doggie for my company, as usual.

Meant to add to rose - snap!

ann60 what a good person (that nun).

I was 6 years old and had already been in hospital for two weeks with pneumonia. In those days parents weren't allowed to visit and my main company was my books. I could see that there was a white frost outside and was convinced that I could hear sleigh bells. In the morning there was a pillow case full of books and toys which, of course, friends and relatives had sent for me. A week later, I went home and had to leave every toy and book behind - presumably for incineration - but at home there was a second Christmas waiting for me. I have never forgotten that time and have a lifelong fear of being alone at Christmas.

That is a special memory, annsixty!

I think Christmas Eve is wonderful, especially in church waiting for midnight..

15 years ago I was in hospital after surgery for breast cancer. Without any warning all the ward lights went out and a choir of nurses and nuns who were associated with the hospital processed through with candles lit singing carols. I was so upset not knowing at that stage if I would see another Christmas and sat with tears flowing. The next day one of the nuns came to see me,she had noticed how upset I was and came to speak to me and was so kind it is something I have never and will never forget. A very special memory.