I Believe in Father Christmas

 

  Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Were you taken as a child to see Father Christmas? I remember in 1960s Bradford that two department stores had a Santa Claus's grotto: Brown Muff's and Busby's. The latter was like fairyland. I remember joining a queue of people outside the shop on Manningham Lane, then slowly walking along a dimly-lit corridor, with strings hanging down from the ceiling that you could pull to make squeaky noises. I recall seeing lights, animated figures and eventually reaching Santa, along with his fairy, and being given a wrapped present.

Christmas decorations at home were very low key compared to nowadays. We made paper lanterns and chains and there were streamers of coloured crepe paper to twist and hang across the ceiling. 

I can still remember that amazing, magical moment, on Christmas morning, when I woke up in the dark and freezing cold (only a coal fire downstairs then) to see a bulging pillow case at the bottom of my bed. It probably didn't hold anything of much value, except one main present, of perhaps a new doll and always a chocolate selection box. 

I think I believed in Santa Claus until I was about seven. I can remember having my doubts confirmed by my mum, and feeling sad and disappointed that some of the magic had gone.

Click here for Greg Lake's 'I Believe in Father Christmas'.

"I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear."

Writing prompts:

• Christmas can be a joyous time for some, but a very sad time for others. Set a timer for seven minutes and write about a Christmas you remember.
• Write about a time when you found out the truth about something you had wondered about for while. How did it make you feel?
• What do you think about how Christmas is celebrated now? Make a list of all the good things and all those that disappoint you.