Report to the People
22nd December 2003
Christmas Cheer
A
blow by blow account of your aging relative’s latest series of bowel
reconstruction operations over the main course. The resentment as you watch your uncle slug down your whisky,
while keeping the bottle he brought firmly closed. And the solemn promise to throttle your brother-in-law if he
tells you once more how much he’s earning or how much his car cost…
It
can only be a traditional family Christmas.
Still,
a moan about our nearest and dearest is all part of the fun. (And
when you’ve spent the day doing nothing but eating chocolate money, watching
telly and drinking brandy, how else are you going to feel self-righteous?)
Anyway,
if our family’s foibles are our biggest problem over the festive season, I
think we’re entitled to count ourselves lucky.
As
I often say at this time of year, what about the countless shop workers and
Royal Mail staff who are run off their feet in the weeks leading up to Christmas
and, come the day itself, are exhausted? Or the many others who can’t take their place around the
Christmas table as they are working in bars, restaurants, petrol stations or any
of the other businesses which stay open for our convenience?
And we cannot forget the emergency services and, this year especially,
our servicemen and women stationed abroad.
But
I think there’s at least one other section of society whose work towards our
Christmas should be recognised.
I
refer, of course, to the women in our lives.
While we men were looking for a pub with Sky Sports Extra to allow us to
watch the Champions’ League, our wives were looking for the right computer
game, CD, or football top at the late night shopping.
Indeed,
their work towards Christmas – planning menus, thinking about gifts and, of
course, budgeting for the whole thing – begins even before Halloween is out of
the way. We, on the other hand, do
an afternoon’s Christmas shopping the second Saturday in December and expect a
medal.
But,
brothers, it’s not too late to redeem ourselves. There are still two and a bit shopping days to go.
Why not volunteer to go out buy those last-minute extras?
Or, on the day itself, don’t abandon your wife and mother in the
kitchen while you play with the kids’ new toys under the guise of “making
sure they’re working.” Scrub
the odd sprout or wash the odd dish.
However
you choose to do it, a bit of co-operation and consideration could make this
festive season the most enjoyable and relaxing yet.
Merry Christmas.
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