MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE ONE I LOVE # 2

 

Though my love for Christ is boundless

On Christmas day I cannot be untrue

For my love for you is overflowing

And he must share my heart with you

I WOULD GIVE TO YOU ON CHRISTMAS MORNING

 

I would give to you

On Christmas morning

The gift of love

Contained within my heart

So I could deliver it

And to show good faith

I would wrap it in my soul

Then you would have the best of me

For with no heart and soul

I am but an empty shell

So I would give you that as well

And then you would have all of me

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – The Third Sunday of Advent Matinée

 

The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles was situated to the west of Abbeyvale located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa and when staffing the Hotel, they wanted to employ from the village populous where possible, and that was how the Ward girls came to work at the Palace.

 

The Ward family had a small holding on the North side of the village, parents Jack and Olive, and daughters Donna, Felicity, Josephine, and Maxine.

Josephine was third in the pecking order at twenty-one and was 5 feet 4 inches tall in her stocking feet and was half a stone heavier than she should have been which was thanks to her comfort eating.

She wasn’t though disappointed with everything she saw in the mirror she liked her legs which she thought were quite shapely and her hair which she thought of as her crowning glory, which was long, straight and light brown, and she was the only one of the sisters who was in a long standing relationship, and the recipient of her favours, and the reason for the comfort eating, was James Vesey, a Corporal in the Downshire Light Infantry, who was  posted overseas.

But on the Third Sunday of Advent while the Ward Family were heading towards their seats at St Giles’, a murmur rumbled around those already seated and when Jo turned around to investigate she saw a soldier walking towards her and she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Jimmy?” she exclaimed

“Were you expecting some other gallant hero of the armed forces?” he asked, and she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

James’ appearance at St Giles’ was an unexpected one, h  

 

His role with the Downshire’s was as a Field Medical Assistant, and he had flown back to the UK on a medevac mission,

but he was only back in Downshire for a few days, and only had a 48 hour leave before he had to report back to Nettlefield.

So, when he arrived back in the Village on a Sunday Morning he knew exactly where to find Jo because The Ward Family had always been churchgoers and the whole family had very strong faiths, and they only missed in exceptional circumstances.

 

Apart from being regulars at St Giles’ there was one other given for the family, and that was Olive Ward’s family Sunday Lunch, but given the circumstances it took on a different significance, so Olive raised the bar, to make it more special.

 

To get everyone around the same table for their Sunday Dinner was very special in itself but Olive wanted to endow it with the addition of her husband Jack’s homemade wine, something that only graced the most special of occasions and her suggestion was greeted with Universal approval.

 

It was a noisy and raucous occasion fueled in no small measure by the liberal consumption of Jack’s Pea Pod Chardonnay.

By 3 o’clock dinner was served, and Olive had done them proud with the table groaning under the weight of the Celebration fare.

It was no mean feat to cook such a sumptuous feast for 9 people, but as usual Olive achieved it effortlessly, which was made all the more remarkable, as she appeared not to have a single hair out of place, and everyone enthused at the magnificence of the spread and all the trimmings and subsequently all the plates were cleared.

 

Finally, the pudding was served, a baked Alaska, which Olive knew was James’ favourite, and then as the final scrapes of spoons on china echoed around the room James stood up and called for order, and when he finally had everyone’s attention he firstly proposed a toast to the cook, then to the master brewer and finally he proposed to Jo.

“Wha…?” she said

“Will you marry me?” he repeated holding the ring box out to her

“Of course, I’ll marry you dummy” she said and wrapped her loving arms around his neck and kissed him.

The Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa – The Third Sunday of Advent

 

The beautiful Downshire village of Clerembeax St Giles was situated to the west of Abbeyvale located between Grace Hill and Bushy Down and on the outskirts was the Clerembeax Palace Hotel and Spa and when Yvonne Labuschagne inherited it from her cousin, the last remaining Clerembeax, she undertook the task of modernizing the Palace and opening a Hotel and Spa offering, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure, while also providing accommodation, meeting and function rooms, a superior restaurant and whatever temptation might attract potential visitors.

She was by profession a masseuse and had worked for many years along with her late husband at the Dancingdean Spa Hotel in Childean.

Staffing the Hotel and Spa was crucial, and Yvonne used her contacts in the Spa world to find the right specialist people in her field of expertise’s and employed Hannah Morgan to fill the remainder of the roles, on the understanding that she employs from the village populous where possible, and that was how the Ward girls came to work at the Palace.

 

The Ward family had a small holding on the North side of the village, parents Jack and Olive, and daughters Donna, Felicity, Josephine, and Maxine.

It was a profitable concern and gave them all a modest living but when the Palace opened, it gave them a chance to supplement their incomes without having to travel to Abbeyvale.

They were all hard-working girls and didn’t care what work they did, so Hannah Morgan didn’t hesitate to offer them all housekeeping jobs.

Josephine was third in the pecking order at twenty-one and was 5 feet 4 inches tall in her stocking feet and was half a stone heavier than she should have been which was thanks to her comfort eating.

She wasn’t though disappointed with everything she saw in the mirror she liked her legs which she thought were quite shapely and her hair which she thought of as her crowning glory, which was long, straight and light brown, and she was the only one of the sisters who was in a long-standing relationship, and the recipient of her favours, and the reason for the comfort eating, was James Vesey, a Corporal in the Downshire Light Infantry, who was currently posted overseas.

 

The Ward Family had always been churchgoers and not out of a sense of duty, the whole family had very strong faiths, and they only missed in exceptional circumstances, and the same was true of Olive Ward’s family Sunday Lunch, which took on a different significance on the Third Sunday of Advent.

 

The family arrived at St Giles’ en masse and milled around at the back of the church chatting to some of the other congregants, until it was time to take their seats, but as they walked down the aisle, a murmur rumbled around those already seated and when Jo turned around to investigate, she saw a soldier walking towards her, and she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Jimmy?” she exclaimed

“Were you expecting some other gallant hero of the armed forces?” he asked, and she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (91) Christmas Plans

 

“I fancy something to eat” she said and the movement of her head caused the golden earrings to glint in the Christmas candlelight.

“Me too” he said

As they left their pews he glance up at the memorial plaques on the wall and one of them in particular

“Lt William Beaumont Killed in Action, Died February 1941 aged 19”

It struck a chord for two reason firstly because his brother was 19 when he lost him, though not in a war, his demise was due to drink driving, his own.

The other thing was that he felt a connection to William Beaumont because his grandfather knew him, in fact they served together in the Downshire’s and was actually present when he was killed and he always spoke well of him.

The reason it struck a chord on that day was that he had been taking stock of his life and had come to the conclusion that life was a participation kind of thing and he hadn’t participated fully and he had lived twice as long as William.

And that was why he had gone to church that day for guidance from on high while enjoying the peace and tranquility and he got an answer of sorts

“You know what to do” 

And then by divine providence she was there in the church, Caroline Kimber.

“Now it’s up to you” he said to himself

She smiled when she saw him and sat beside him and they chatted as they had many times before, but on this occasion he was more overt in his converse which gave Caroline hope which was why she said

“I fancy something to eat”

 

They left the church and crossed the street to the corner café where they had often had lunch together.

 

They used to sit right in the window, never saying much, they just sat there in a comfortable silence, drinking tea and watching the world go by.

But he had decided that other people sitting in café’s should be watching him and Caroline go by.

So on that day as the Christmas shoppers bustled by George was oblivious to them because he had eyes only for Caroline and nor was he silent and as a result she was expectant and then he said

“I was wondering what you were doing for Christmas”

“Nothing, I have no plans” Caroline replied

“Nor do I” George said “so why don’t we plan to do nothing together”

“You mean spend Christmas…. Together”

“Yes”

“I would like that very much” she said

“Merry Christmas” he said and saluted her with his mug and she reciprocated.

 

OH MY PRETTY LITTLE ELFIN FACED GIRL (PART TWO)

 

Oh my pretty little elfin faced girl

In green woolly tights and pixie shoes

Please notice me beneath the mistletoe

And kiss away my Christmas blues

 

Oh my pretty little elfin faced girl

I wish you would grant my Christmas wish

But it appears that I wish in vain

For you don’t even know that I exist

 

So I stand alone with my Christmas punch

Looking out at the fresh fallen snow

When I see your elfin face smile at me

And you’re holding a sprig of mistletoe

BRIEF ENCOUNTER

 

Snow spattered, unseen, against the steamy glass

As the train rattled out of the station

It was a fairly crowded train, but not full

With weary shoppers, shopping bags bursting

And commuting workers the weeks work done

Journeying homeward at the dark days end

A cheerful crowd though

Pleased with themselves bright faced and hearty

Full of seasonal cheer anticipating the holiday

Seemingly oblivious to the drafty carriage

I sat alone and felt lifted by the quiet jolliness

Contemplating the collective countenance

Of the self satisfied passengers

Then she appeared and I was lifted higher

There she was larger than life vivacious and self assured

Covered with snowflakes and laughing to herself

My snow angel, with snow covering her like sugar on a doughnut

Wrapped up against the cold in a woolen hat and coat

And the long knitted scarf draped about her neck

She shook her head and her light brown hair danced about her shoulders

And the snowflakes melted away from her soft curls

There was a rosy redness on her cheeks

Almost matching the hue of her coat

Either from the cold winter evening or a liberal taste of Christmas spirit

A little of both probably

She made her way down the train between the seats

Leaving wet snowflakes in her wake

Full length coat swishing side to side

She moved almost gracelessly, which suited her well

As she tottered a little in her high boots

Perhaps due to the lurching motion of the train

Or the Christmas punch and eggnog

She was still laughing softly to herself which also suited so well

And then she saw me, and her eyes lit up like beacons

She stopped and stood momentarily open mouthed

Then her smile illuminated the carriage

My heart soared at the sight of her

I returned her smile and she flushed a little deeper red

It had been almost a year since I last saw her

My lovely lost love, Linda

I had locked all my feelings away but now they were back

Like a door had opened in my heart and they all rushed out

And I missed her so much I didn’t know just how much till that moment

We were never lovers, only ever friends

But very special friends very close friends though no more

We laughed a lot together, shared confidences

Best friends but no more than that,

Though I wanted more, so much more

But I didn’t want to lose what we had so I said nothing

I loved her so much, but she was not free for me to love

And Linda was not free to love me even if she wanted

So I contented myself with our special friendship

My unrequited love remained so

If that was all then better that than nothing

I was happy to love her unconditionally

Then circumstances changed, my father died

I had to move away and I didn’t see her again, until now

Now she was in front of me, my angel, larger than life

Smiling, blushing, laughing and so lovely

I stood up and smiled at her again

She threw herself at me and she hugged me so tight

I smelled her hair as I held her and was intoxicated by her scent

All the old feelings flooded back over whelming me

Yet could it be my love was not unrequited

We sat down on the lumpy seats in the rattly carriage

And were completely alone

We sat looking at each other not wanting to lose sight of one another

In case the spell were broken

She removed a glove and put her hand on mine

As if testing it was not a dream then she slipped her hand into mine

Her delicate fingers so small in my grasp

For the remainder of the journey we reveled in each other’s company

We caught up with the lost months filled in the gaps

Still oblivious to our companions

It was as if we had never been apart

Then the train shook to a halt as all too soon we had arrived

Our fellow travelers rushed off to their Christmases

Reluctantly we left our seats and disembarked arm in arm

Then hand in hand we walked slowly along the platform

Still talking and laughing and then out onto the street

Where the shops were now closing and the town was relatively quiet

From one pub Noddy Holder screamed “it’s Christmas” to the world

Only the pubs and restaurants seemed to hold any attraction to most

But we joined a small group gathered round the Salvation Army band

And joined in with the carol singing in the town square

Before strolling towards the taxi stand

As the snow again fell onto Linda’s soft curls

We took our place in the queue of travelers eager to be home

I wanted to be nowhere else but with her

Smiling she turned to face me and kissed me gently on the lips

Such a warm sensitive and tender kiss

When our lips parted she smiled at me coyly

And flushed a deep shade of pink

Then I kissed a snowflake off her nose

And cupped her flushed cheek in my palm

Then I slid my fingers beneath her hair

Caressing the soft downy hair on her nape

And pulled her sweet lips to mine and returned her kiss

Her arms enveloped me holding me so close, so tightly

Not wanting to let go, not wanting to lose what we had found

Not wanting to lose me again

We stood locked in our embrace as the snow fell softly on the scene

She pulled away for a moment then buried her face in my neck

And spoke “I’ve missed you so much, I’ve missed your love for me”

I had waited so long for this moment waited so long to here those words

To hear my love returned then we kissed again

Cabs arrived and departed through the slush

The queue around us just kept moving as if unaware of our love

After a while we moved from the queue sat on a bench and talked

My love was not unrequited she felt the same for me

She had always done so yet still she was not free

She was torn between the two of us

Torn between the comfortable familiarity for a good man

A loyal and dependable man, safety

And the passion she felt for a soul mate

It wasn’t fair on him he hadn’t done anything wrong

So our love had to be a forbidden one

Best friends no more, I wanted more, so much more

And could not content myself with a special friendship

Now I knew my love was not unrequited

There was no going back, now Pandora’s Box had been opened

But at least now I knew she loved me

With the same depth as I loved her

We walked back to the taxi rank and kissed again in the snow

All too soon she got into a taxi

And through the winter wonderland departed taking my love with her

With her palm pressed against the glass she craned her neck to keep sight of me

Through the snow spattered window until the very last moment

Till the cab had gone out of sight

She was gone from my arms, gone from my view, gone from my life

But a Christmas happening had changed my life forever

A brief encounter, fleeting, here and then gone

Her scent still in my nostrils, the taste of joy on my lips

My soul mate gone forever, yet forever in my memory, forever in my heart

I would never see her again and moved away in the New Year

Making a life elsewhere but I never forgot her

And when on a winter’s night I hear the “Sally army” play

Or when the snow falls during Christmas time

Or I feel a snowflake on my skin

I feel her small hand in mine and then she is once again in my arms

And I smell her soft brown hair and the taste of her is on my lips

I hear her say “I love you” and she is mine forever