CRAIG DAVID
FOR CRAIG DAVID, CHRISTMAS IS A CHANCE TO SLOW DOWN AND SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME WITH HIS MUM
As a kid, Christmas was everything to me. I’d be so excited before going to bed; my mum would get the Mr Kipling mince pies, leave them out and, somehow, by the morning, they would have all been eaten. Of course, it wasn’t until later on that I realised Mum had secretly eaten them all before she went to bed! Our tradition was to not open all the presents straight away. We’d have our Christmas dinner, watch Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory or
It’s A Wonderful Life, then my dad would come over in the afternoon to spend a bit of time with us. Even though my parents split up when I was eight, they kept a very strong bond for me. They had a good relationship, so I always felt I had a family. By the time Dad left, it might be 9pm, and that’s when Mum and I would start opening all the Christmas presents under the tree. The excitement I had for Christmas changed slightly when Mum left some of the tags on the presents from the shop she was working at. It was the first time I thought, ‘Oh, wait. Doesn’t Father Christmas bring the presents?’ And the bubble burst. But it also opened a door, because it made me realise that Mum had spent all those years buying me presents, despite not having much money to spend. How magical is that? Home Alone is the movie that cements Christmas for me now. As soon as I see Macaulay Culkin and hear those songs, I’m in festive mode. Even when I watch it at another time of year, I still feel like it’s Christmas.
My festive indulgence is large quantities of chocolate. Every year, I get a Cadbury Advent calendar – it’s still the best one – and I try my best not to open four doors in one day.
My plan this year is to spend as much time with my Mum as I can to show her all the love in the world and say thank you for everything she’s done for me over the years. I usually try to travel home to Southampton on Christmas Eve. Being able to wake up at her house on Christmas Day makes everything perfect. Mum comes out to shows and we get to see each other during the year, but at Christmas, it feels like I can slow down and be in the moment.
The routine of the day has stayed the same, but the conversation is a little different. We have much deeper chats and the quality time we spend together is more important than opening the presents. Mum and I often write each other a card and seeing her open it up and read the words is more impactful than any gift I could give her, because it’s real and it’s from the heart.
We usually do the cooking together these days. We try to make it as easy as possible because it’s only the two of us until my dad comes later on. We go for chicken (controversial!), with all the different vegetables, stuffing, gravy, bread sauce and really crunchy roast potatoes. But it’s all about the first spoon of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Cookie Dough ice cream. Do I feel guilty? Not one bit.
‘QUALITY TIME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PRESENTS’
Tickets for Craig David’s 2020 UK Arena Tour are available now. Visit craigdavid.com