Festive facts or fancies?

Friday, 16 December 2011

Reflect on the Christmas spirit and traditions with Mature Times writer Catherine McFarland

The chances of you ordering a pizza this holiday season may well be as likely as a turkey voting for an early Christmas. But if you do, why not ditch your favourite old Pepperoni or Hawaiian and ask instead for the (hilarious) ‘Good King Wenceslas’. Deep pan, crisp and even.

Ha! Proper Christmas cracker killer, that one. Terrible, isn’t it? Must be the sassy, seasonal spirit; I blame the tree pixies. But, if the line from the classic Christmas film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is in any way true (and of course it is) then, when your doorbell or buzzer rings with that pizza delivery, you’ll be making some beautiful magic because “Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings”. Aw.

But it’s not fair, it’s my birthday too!

There is, in fact, no end to the magic – or superstitions – of Christmas. For some, they even begin at birth. Yes, if you were lucky enough to be born on 25th December, you supposedly cannot be drowned or hanged. That said, apparently you’re more likely to be able to see ghosts and spirits, which I imagine could get quite distracting. As much was said of Spain’s King Philip II, who was always in poor humour as a result.

I’m sure his grumpiness had nothing whatever to do with having to share his birthday presents and celebrations with Christmas. Poor old King Philip; he should’ve taken a cheery gold leaf out of Wenceslas’s book.

Luck at Christmas

Christmas Day is a great one for increasing your luck for the year. Why, the first person to hear a rooster crow will have good luck for sure. In Ireland, there’s the added bonus of being due a glass of whisky (or a cup of tea – not such a bonus).

And make sure you sneeze; that brings good luck. As does wishing someone a Merry Christmas before putting on your socks and shoes, eating breakfast by candlelight and kissing the oldest person in the house. Oh, and hearing a cricket chirp (no, as Saint Nicholas is Father Christmas I’m not making this up). And they say that bathing on Christmas Day keeps you safe from fevers and toothache in the year to come - although I have a shivering feeling it’s supposed to be in the sea…

Keeping it fruity

But here’s a good one: if the sun shines through the limbs of the apple trees on Christmas Day, there’ll be a bumper crop of fruit next year. And as many mince pies as you sample in different houses will equal the number of excellent months for you that year. Apparently, though, you shouldn’t chance your luck by indulging in mince pies before Christmas Eve or after thetwelfth night (5th January). Personally, my taste buds have overcome any danger of superstition on that one. Nom nom nom (that’s ‘yum yum’ in contemporary urban speak, don’t you know).

Tinsel teaser

Well, we’ve reached the final window of the Quiptease calendar so it’s time to thank you for your letters and emails and reveal the answer to last month’s question, what’s a ‘Julie Andrews’ in military slang? Yes indeed it’s a cup of tea - white, no sugar. Julie Andrews is a ‘white nun’ in The Sound of Music, and the phrase becomes ‘white, none’. The winning Mature Times pen set goes to Ewan Cameron from Westgateon- Sea – congratulations. For December’s pen set prize, do you know the name given to the traditional act of honouring livestock and crops at Christmas by raising toasts and lighting fires in the hope for good yields in the year to come?

Please send your comments and suggestions to Catherine McFarland,Mature Times, Highwood House Publishing Limited, Highwood House, Winters Lane, Redhill, Bristol BS40 5SH or email editorial@ maturetimes.co.uk.