Country Living with Francis Farragher

IT would just seem wrong not to write something about Christmas in the week that’s in it, but a lot of the tall tales about tough geese, sneaky Santas who came and went without saying hello, and pathetic meanderings about seasonal hangovers, have all been told before. And here it is again, the season of goodwill right on top of us.

When it comes to the last week or so before Christmas, even the Scrooge edge of an old curmudgeon like myself, tends to get blunted somewhat with the mix of coloured lights, flying presents, hymn singing children and that always refreshingly comforting Christian story of the birth of Jesus in a humble manger in Bethlehem.

Getting older too does have its little consolations in terms of being is transported back to younger days when seeing grandchildren in absolute awe at the prospect of Santa Claus arriving while another mischievous but likeable intruder is now also ‘on the scene’ to warm young hearts in the form of an elf who gets up to all sorts of tricks when the eyelids close long before the witching hour.

As in my own childhood days, Santa Claus continues to be an elusive target to pin down and although I came close on a couple of occasions to disturbing that hoary and good natured old codger from the North Pole, all my best efforts at just getting a fleeting of glimpse of him were destined to end in failure.

Many’s the Christmas Eve Night, I battled bravely to prevent the arrival of The Sandman and on occasion managed to maintain a lonely vigil on the top rung of the old stairs until a vigilant mam or dad spotted what was going on and ushered me back to bed with a warning phrase which still has a little chill to it. “Remember, if you don’t fall asleep, Santa won’t come.” And really that was a real ‘settler’ in terms of quelling my childhood ambition to say hello him . . . just once.

I’ve noticed too that Santa is a bit more affluent than in my day but like Ireland the economy of the North Pole has also improved significantly over recent decades but yet I remember fondly the arrival of such little items as an animal van truck, cap guns and maybe even the odd cowboy suit complete with belt, holster and of course the Colt 45.