I'm really not feeling that festive this year about Christmas, but I have been thinking about Christmases past, in happier times.
I have three extra special memories, quite apart from all the usual warm and happy times I've spent with family and friends. And funnily enough, they all relate to Christmases in Germany but maybe that's because of the military background to a lot of my life.
The first was when I was an army nurse in the city of Münster. On Christmas Eve and carrying lighted candles with our nursing uniforms, our grey capes turned inside out to show their scarlet linings, we sang carols with the local people. As snow fell we sang 'Silent Night', and it felt very special to be sharing our Christmas Eve in the company of local people, all celebrating Christmas in an old and cobbled market square in a German city.
The next was while we were living in the attic of a farmhouse next to the famous Möhnesee Dam (Dambuster's raid), in the village of Delecke. (There hadn't been enough military accommodation for us, so we had found our own 'hiring'.) The farming family were lovely and always very kind to us, and as Christmas approached our landlord asked us to accompany him to some woodland he owned on the far side of the Möhnesee lake. Off we set on the trailer behind his tractor, bumping along, and, once there, as we crunched through the tree needles underfoot, it also snowed, and I can still remember the scent of the pines and the quiet of the woodland. "I have a surprise for you", said our landlord. "Pick a Christmas tree and I'll cut it for you." Then we trundled it back on the trailer, up to our apartment and decorated it in the warmth of our living room, whilst sipping mulled wine.
Then there was Düsseldorf, in a little church near the banks of the river Rhine. We'd somehow missed our own military church's carol concert, but knew that this little church held services in English. The pastor was Dutch and he was so excited when we all trooped in, as there was my (then) husband and I, my grown-up children, and included my German daughter-in-law who was pregnant at the time, and the pastor was so delighted to have three generations of one family, (including the bump,) to join him for the service. Düsseldorf has a thriving opera house and company, and half way through the service, two members of the congregation got up to sing a duet. But they were also members of the opera company and I will never ever forget their singing of the carol 'O Holy Night'. It was pure magic with such a rich sound, and instantly made 'O Holy Night', my favourite carol ever. I still can't hear it without thinking of that performance and the little church to this day.
I'm absolutely sure that you too will have memories of extra special Christmases too. I'd love to hear about those!
Photo: London's Oxford Street, Luke Stackpoole
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That all sounds so lovely Lynd! Gives us a warm glow to think back. How lovely that you still have mum and that you appreciate all that your parents did for you at Christmas.
Ive got photos of the London lights. I love to go up to see them but sadly wont be able to this year.What wonderful stories you have. Such community spirit in these places. I feel quite emotional reading them. Thank you for sharing. Magical!
My Grandma always took me and a school friend to London to see the lights, and one year was the year of the 'Weeing Angels'. They were in pairs, supporting a star. and what happened, was, they collected rain in their robes, and as the wind blew, they would 'wee' on the people beneath. It was a design glitch!
Sue those memories are wonderful and singlehandedly you have lifted my emotions today.
What treasured moments those are.
Thank you for sharing them with us.
You brought a smile to my lips with your nursing carol singing too, we used to turn our capes to the bright red side and go round the wards singing carols to the patients / captive audience.☺️
Hi Ellie, I think that the cape turning was quite a common one and I remember my 'civvy' nurse friends telling me about how they'd proceed through the hospital with candles, singing carols. That must be a wonderful memory too!
This is my Christmas memory, as, a youngster I was involved in the Guiding Movement and we always had a, Christingle Service on a, Sunday evening before Christmas, the evening it was held always coincided with Sports Personality If The Year, so after the service I rushed home and we settled down to watch the TV, not long after the programme started the doorbell would ring and it was family friends making their annual Christmas visit, so every year when SPOTY comes on that memory comes flooding back
Lovely memories, lovely story. These moments are part of our lives and comforting when remembered.
Hi Sue, thank you for sharing your story and picture of Xmas past , your right about this year which is going to be different but it is what it is and hopefully after this year we might be able to do things a lot normal again next year. X
Just watching 'The 3Tenors at ' Christmas' on sky arts Domingo and Pavarotti singing ' o holy night' . Made me think of you!
I remember that performance MadBunny and it did remind me too! Thank you!
Oh I loved Münster Mydexter. I was back there a few years later with my husband and two children. All memories of it are happy and you're right about German Christmases. Several times we also took off to go skiing right after Christmas..... but that's another story!
Oh yes Jerry. The excited anticipation of it all as a child. That's when there's the real magic of Christmas. Thanks for sharing your special memory!
It was wonderful to read now about your Christmas experiences in Germany. Yes, there is something special about it, even though mixed with melancholy. And then you can still sense the real meaning of Christmas - sometimes.
Hi Lola2003 thank you! I have a feeling that the deeper meaning of Christmas is a tiny bit more apparent this year with a lot of the usual madness stripped away through the pandemic. We are at least keeping family and friends in mind an awful lot more, I think!
You are right Sue, neighbours who we just used to nod or say good morning to are chatting and asking if people are alright.
Those of us who have survived so far are treasuring how lucky we are.
Ellie
Thank you for sharing these wonderful, magical memories. They seemed like scenes from a movie... I was transported ❄️ It's completely understandable that you are not feeling festive this year. Still, I wish you warmth and love this holiday season ❤️
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