As a kid, Christmas was a big deal. We did the whole decorating thing, giving out Christmas cards and hanging the ones we received on a line. It was always fun to see who had sent us cards and who hadn’t. I loved reading the cards and it developed my love for slightly offbeat not safe for work cards.
Although my parents made a fuss, none of the Christmas holidays I had a child particularly stuck out. Sure there were the fun adventurous ones where we travelled to different parts of the country. Visiting Yankari Game Reserve several times, clearly remember swimming in the warm springs as well as the baboons stealing any food left unwatched. I developed my love for hotels and travel thanks to those trips.
We also had the holidays where we stayed at home and visited my grandparents over the holiday period. Hosted guests as well with the expected servings of rice, chicken and chin-chin (which my siblings and I gorged ourselves on). Despite a reasonable number of perfectly lovely experiences to choose from, none stands out except the Christmas of 1999.
The Christmas 1999
The Movie
It was in my second year of university and everything in my life was objectively perfect. I was the perfect weight (a story for another time) my skin was glowing and I was generally feeling myself. To cap it off, on TV the Hallmark channel had a brand new holiday movie scheduled for Christmas day.
The movie was ‘A Christmas Carol.
You may be wondering a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel? So what there are hundreds of them each year.
True, but this one had Patrick Stewart AKA Captain Jon Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise playing Mr Scrooge.
Gasp.
I have a slight obsession with the captain and have watched all episodes of Star Trek Next Generation. So even now when I think about him in the red suit my heart skips a beat.
So I have the TV movie of my dreams and the man of my dreams playing the protagonist, what else could make it better?
No Parents
On boxing day, December 26th my parents had to travel to my mom’s hometown. So for the first time in our lives, my siblings and I were home alone. No parents, no relatives nothing. There was something magical about being alone with them over the holidays without my parents. It made me ecstatic and I am not quite sure why?
The final thing that was the icing on the cake was, can you guess?
Wait, Wait, Wait
The Chicken.
Yep, well-made spicy chicken. My mum made a huge batch of chicken for the holidays and marinated it within an inch of its life. So much so that even the bones were spicy!I ate so much of that chicken, I should have been clucking by the end of the holiday!
To crown this all the movie was everything I wanted and more.
It was heartbreaking, cute and a tad over the top as Hallmark movies tend to be. But for that exact space and time, it was perfection.
My memories
So my memories of Christmas 1999 are Patrick Stewart AKA Jon Luc Picard, feeling myself, my siblings and I home an alone and well-spiced chicken.
No memory before or after has come close to making me feel as happy as I did that Christmas. The funny thing is, although my parents were away on their trip nothing crazy happened. We mostly stayed at home to enjoy each other’s company, ate a whole lot and watched TV.
It was essentially a bubble.
When I think back about it, I think I understand why the time was so magical to me
- This was the first time I truly felt like an adult because my parents trusted me enough to leave me alone with my siblings
- I have always been obsessed with movies and like I mentioned I love the Captain. His presence in this movie, cheesy as it may have been was like a present just for me. So I felt kinda superspecial.
- My weight was perfect, it had been a problem for me in the past and I had just finished a 7K training program so I felt really good about myself.
What does this have to do with beauty or skincare, nothing really. I wanted to share a fun personal story about the holidays since it is the season.
Do you have a most memorable Christmas or holiday? What made it so memorable? Let me know in the comments below and have a wonderful holiday.
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What a sweet story! Holidays that reasonate with me are full of comfort and family, nothing over the top!
Author
Thank you !
I loved reading your “Christmas Carol” because everyone has the ability to build their own Christmas regardless of how festive it can be because the important thing is what leaves us, what makes us feel deeply in the spirit of Christmas!
Author
Exactly !
So great to hear that you can remember one specific Christmas that stood out most among all the other years. I cannot remember a single one that was special compared to the others.
Holidays are full of old and precious memories.. Isn’t it..? I loved reading your memory. Happy Christmas.
Author
Thank you and happy Christmas
This is the best story ever! Christmas is a great day to us that every person has a different memorable story. Love this post ❤️.
Author
Thank you i am glad you enjoyed it
What a nice story! I love Christmas, but not so much for the day itself, just because I get to spend some nice time with my family!
Author
Same for me Christmas is all about family
I love Sir Patrick Stewart! I am glad you had a memorable Christmas!
Author
I love him so much as well
Thanks for sharing this story. I love the holidays as well especially for this and the lovely memories made! Have a happy new year
Author
Thanks for checking my post out and i am pleased you enjoyed the story. I wish you a happy new year
I have experienced Xmas so many times that I have lost count.I don’t care about films.In fact they bore me to death. I am a guy who feels ‘ why should I spend time watching something that’s just made up’
My interest is in your expertise in skincare. I find that during the harmattan season the lower third of both of my legs get dry scruffy itchy and full of papular rashes.As a renowned skincare expert what do you recommend /advise.