journal of a writing man

Every bright chimney has a sooty lining

Sunday December 16, 2007

I’m proud to say that it happened at last. I’ve caught the Christmas bug.

It was a sudden event. There we were, loading the new artificial tree into the car, and I was hit by the jollity disease.

“Now, that’s strange,” I said.

“What’s that?”

“I feel all Christmassy at last.”

“Good for you.”

“Let’s go shopping!”

“No. I’m tired. I wanna go home.”

“You seem to have stolen my favourite whine.”

But, I took mercy on him. He has been working hard, doing a dinner-dance last night and then, this morning, cleaning the beer lines and making everything ready for the long shut-down until New Year. So I drove us home.

I searched for Christmas carols on the radio but they weren’t doing Christmas, either, so I dug in my memory for the lyrics I have largely forgot and sang some of the good old songs as we went.

Once in Royal David’s City
Stood a lowly ca-a-atle shed…

They don’t make ‘em like that any more.