TheBanyanTree: TheBanyanTree post from larwos at optusnet.com.au

[Sachet]

Subject:
Our best Christmas ever
From:
"Sally Larwood" <larwos at optusnet.com.au>
Date:
Tue, 25 Dec 2007 22:36:16 +1100 (AUS Eastern Daylight Time)

To:
<thebanyantree at lists.remsset.com>


Happy Christmas everybody.
 
I know you haven't heard from me for a long time, but I just had to 
share my wonderful day with everybody.
 
Our Christmases have for years consisted of all of our family plus 
partners, getting together for a meal of roast turkey, roast chicken, 
ham and a huge range of roast vegetables, peas, broccoli, cranberry 
sauce and gravy, followed by Christmas pudding, icecream and custard.  
It has also been the tradition of those who don't like Christmas pudding 
to have icecream and custard.  I almost always do the cooking.
 
This year, as both Chris's parents are wheelchairbound in a high care 
facility, we decided our place would be the most practical and we 
organised for two cars to go and pick up 'the olds' and wheelchair at 12 
noon, to return them late afternoon.  As they are both in their nineties 
now we made sure we had them with us today as it could be our last 
chance to have them with us for this special family day.
 
The only member of our family, who wasn't to be present was our daughter 
Christa who has been working in London for the last three years and who 
would visit later in 2008.
 
For some reason for the first time in the last three years, I have been 
rather weepy for the last month as somehow I was missing Christa even 
more that usual and this problem was exacerbated by the fantasy I kept 
having of preparing for Christmas and hearing a voice behind me saying, 
"Hello, Mother Dear", and Christa would be standing there.
 
This morning as I prepared for Christmas dinner after attending the most 
wonderful Christmas Service at the Church where my cousin is the 
minister, I kept finding tears coming into my eyes as I thought of 
Christa, However, then Pippa and Lachie arrived to help set up and cook 
the vegetables, our closest friends, Robin and Denis arrived with the 
pudding and Christmas cake and Denis started carving the ham.
 
I had the best help in preparing that I've ever had in all my years of 
cooking Christmas dinner, and just as everything was just about ready, 
Chris arrived with his father in tow, and our Alison with Chris's 
mother.  Alison's new fiance Nick wasn't here yet, but he was on his way 
after visiting his parents before they went off to a relatives for lunch.
 
Soon all were here, and we decided to have lunch then give out the 
presents which were crowded under the Christmas tree afterward.  Alison 
was disappointed that we hadn't heard from Christa and was just saying 
she was going to call her and wake her up when the phone rang and it was 
Christa!
 
I could hear she was walking and guessed she was wending her way home 
from a Christmas celebration, and I could hear her saying she couldn't 
find her keys and she was asking her companion to open the door.  I 
asked her if she needed to have the door opened for her and she said 
yes, please open it.  It was then that I caught on.  She was standing on 
our front porch!!!
 
Christa had come home for Christmas!!!  She had booked her seat all the 
way back in August and not told anyone.  In the end she told Alison and 
stayed with her and Nick, not game to contact any friends in case they 
leaked the surprise to me.  She hadn't even told Pippa, who was as 
thrilled as the rest of us.
 
If I had been crying before, you should have seen me as I hugged my 
beautiful daughter who I hadn't seen for over 18 months.  From me, she 
moved on to her father who was also in tears. 
 
I have never had a happier Christmas.
 
Everyone who loved Christa most was here.  Everyone was so happy the 
house rang with laughter, and the look on her grandparents' faces was a 
joy to see.
 
I am so happy to have my baby home for two weeks.
 
Sal