Welcome to Day Nine of Blogmas 2022!
Today, I've teamed up with Jack Wilson, Membership and Engagement Officer for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) to bring you a bit of insight into a typical Christmas in his life...
Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
On Christmas Eve as a family, we have always had our tradition of
Christmas Eve Supper which consists of a Gammon Joint, Pease pudding, pickled
purple cabbage and lots of various sides and condiments. This goes back to my
Grandad parents Mam and Dad who used to do this back in the 1920s!
Who
will you be spending this year’s Christmas with?
This year I will be
spending Christmas with my Mam, Gran and 3 beautiful dogs, we call ourselves
the “Three Amigos” as we used to be the “Fantastic 5” When my Uncle and Grandad
were around, then when my Uncle passed, we became the “fab 4” Beatles reference
there, couldn’t resist, and sadly after losing my Grandad in 2021 we are now
the “Three Amigos” But we always spend Christmas together no matter what!
What
time do you get up on Christmas Day? Is that for a particular reason?
Well, when I was younger, I used to get up at 5am/6am with all the excitement, however now I can
actually lie in until about 7am! I know it’s shocking, the only reason I get up
then is because my Mam is always far too excited and doesn’t want to sit up
alone for hours!
What’s
for breakfast?
We used to do things
like croissants, bacon, eggs etc. However, in recent years we have found a love
for pancakes, cream cheese and smoked salmon, it’s so quick and easy to do and
it doesn’t make us too full for the main feast later in the day!
When
do you open presents?
If I had my way, I would open them in November! But normally it’s always before midday, just
as soon as we are all up and had a coffee, because coffee is very important, so
you don’t crash out on the sofa before 3pm!
What
has been your favourite gift of all-time?
This is a hard
question, I have never truly known the answer too, for me, I know it is a cliché
but having my family all together is the biggest gift I could ever ask for, we
are so close, the love we have for each other, nothing compares to it… but if
you make me choose an actual gift, I will go with some of my amazing Lego sets!
What
has been the most favourite gift you’ve given someone else?
For me it would have
to be Christmas 2021 when I got my Mam this wonderful canvas printed with a
college of photos of myself, Gran, Grandad, Mam and Uncle on to go pride of
place in our living room so we know everyone is always there.
Did
you ask for anything this year? If so, what?
The main thing I
would love this year is one of the “Trace my Ancestry DNA” Kits, I really would
love to find out more about our family's history and where across the world we
have connections with!
Do
you wear anything special on Christmas Day?
In years gone by we
have dressed up as elves, Santa, fairies, Brussel sprouts and turkeys, we
always try to find new exciting Christmas jumpers or outfits that we can wear
instead of just sitting around in our non-festive clothes!
What
time is Christmas Dinner (you can use your own definition for this)?
Christmas dinner is
normally around 2pm, again going back to my Great Grand Parents, it has been a
tradition in our family, and I think many others, for years!
What’s
your favourite food and drink on Christmas Day?
You just cannot beat
a Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, then a good slab of homemade Christmas pudding/cake
for dessert (If there is room left in our stomach!) Then the drink of choice
would either be a few glasses of white wine or my favourite, Bucks Fizz!!
Four things you do
between 1pm and 6pm:
1. Scoff down dinner like we have never seen food
before
2. Get the dogs out on a nice cold Christmas walk
around Saltwell Park
3. Have a mess around with some of the amazing presents
we get and make a right mess which we never can be bothered to clean up!
4. Definitely have a nap, Christmas is exhausting
Do
you watch TV on Christmas Day? If so, anything in particular?
We normally watch
some good Christmas movies; we aren’t really that fussed as we are normally
just playing it for background noise while opening presents and eating dinner.
What’s
your favourite festive movie?
My one and only true
Christmas movie love has to be the Muppets Christmas Carol. How can you not
love it!
How
do you spend your evening and night?
Me and Mam go home after all the
festivities are over and we normally have a nice relaxing night in front of the
Tv, Pj’s on and thinking just how lucky we are and remembering our loved ones
who are no longer here with us to celebrate as we know Christmas is hard for a
lot of people so we should never take anything for granted.
Thank you so much for sharing your Christmas with
I’m NOT Disordered’s readers!