Tidings of comfort and joy
The A Hume Family on staying joyful and connected with our country community at Christmas
There is great comfort and joy in Christmas Day traditions, in the small intimate moments that mark the festive season for every family. After the challenges of the past year, we crave the warmth and cheer of a country Christmas, especially as we approach ‘the big day’.
In normal times, we could expect to spend the whole month of December basking in the festive glow of carol concerts and nativities, sparkling at parties and meeting friends at pretty little markets covered in twinkling lights. And inevitably, throughout the month, people ask, ‘What are you doing for Christmas?’
This year that question may feel a little daunting. It’s been on all our minds and for many of us it remains unanswered.
At A Hume Country Clothing – taking our cue from the timehonoured and essential seasonal message of hope, kindness and neighbourly goodwill – we are deploying some old school tactics to stay connected with our country community.
Ahead of the big day, we suggest buying up charity Christmas cards to funnel cash into our beleaguered charities and writing stacks of them by a crackling fire to everyone who has been in our thoughts during this crazy time. This year a handwritten card matters more than ever, and we want to see postmen and postwomen staggering under the weight of our season’s greetings.
We’re using all that time saved getting dolled up and going to parties to whip up mini-hampers and gifts for friends and neighbours. Nothing fancy, just odd jars of homemade jam and chutney, with a fistful of sticky mince pies and maybe a lump of stilton, or a pot of Paperwhite Narcissi. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to meet friends and family to exchange gifts and take a walk across frozen fields. If not, we’ll sneak our gifts onto doorsteps and imagine the smiles as they’re discovered.
When it comes to the 25th, from the first light of dawn on Christmas morning, the kitchen will be filled with the glorious smells of a traditional festive feast. Even if we can’t all sit round the table, pulling crackers, wearing paper crowns and secretly sneaking chipolatas to the dog beneath our chair, the bird will be as huge as ever, and we’ll deliver Christmas dinner to loved ones who live close by. Enough to ensure leftovers, because aren’t they the best bit?
The remainder of the day will require a sprinkling of digital fairy dust to share the magic. We’ve all come a long way since March, Zoom is a household name and even the most senior members of our families have proven themselves adept at video calling, making a cross-generational, cross-continental, digital Christmas a real possibility.
We’ve kept our ears open for creative ideas and there are plans for Christmas family quizzes, with breakout rooms and festive forfeits. There’s also talk of watching favourite Christmas movies together online, so we don’t miss out on the ambient sound of snoring as the usual suspects slip into a deep slumber.
It’s a far cry from normal, but country residents have proven remarkably resilient. After the tough time we’ve all been through we must continue to find ways to care and connect, to help each other find the answer to the question, ‘What are you doing for Christmas?’ To act with kindness and sensitivity, to feel thankful for all we have and nurture hope for the year ahead.