Reply To: Christmas

[Susan Briggs]

Last #Christmas (2020) was my first home alone. I had been expecting to visit my husband in his care home, but then Covid rules changed all that. However, I decided to make #Christmas lunch as easy as possible. I am no cook, so found ready prepared items so easy to pop in the oven (roast potatoes, turkey joint serving 2-3 and sage & onion stuffing). You will be pleased to hear I did cook my own sprouts, carrots and new potatoes and managed to heat up a #Christmas pudding for one. Gravy was made with granules and boiling water, and I opened some cream for my Christmas pud.

I had already decorated my apartment – I had the time as I am retired. This year (2021) #Christmas will be very different as my husband sadly died in October. However, I live in a retirement village and there was a Facebook post asking for #volunteers to help out with #Christmas Day lunches. I had already been invited to go to my brother’s, but decided I would leave that till Boxing Day. Last night I did a trial run at serving #Christmas meals in our on site bistro. I now feel more confident about #volunteering my services on #Christmas Day. It will be different, it will be fun.

I do, of course, miss my husband very much. I have even found myself looking at the #Christmas cards I may have given him. But it is good to remember little things like #Christmas 2018 when he came to stay with me and he woke me with a cup of tea. This was amazing as it was over a year since he had left home and was not familiar with the layout of my kitchen, let alone making a hot drink. He had #FTD #progressive non-fluent aphasia variant.

Merry Christmas to you all