The wrong Christmas

Jo and Harry thought they wanted a quiet Christmas. How wrong they were!

Jo sighed. The conversation with Harry wasn' t going quite as smoothly as she had hoped.

When do your family open their Christmas presents?' she asked.

After Christmas dinner,' Harry replied.

Not first thing Christmas morning?'

No. Our family have never opened presents then.'

What do you have for Christmas dinner?'

Jo noted Harry' s reply carefully. When he' d finished listing the various items, there was a notable omission.

Don' t you like cranberry sauce?'

Harry grimaced and shook his head. Horrible stuff.'

But you do have

Christmas pudding for dessert?'

`Actually, we tend to have mince pies.'

Jo took a deep breath and prepared to ask what she considered to be the most crucial question of all.

What film do you watch on Christmas afternoon?'

It's a Wonderful Life, of course,' he replied.

Jo breathed a sigh of relief. If you truly wished to get into the Christmas spirit there was, in her opinion, only one film to watch on Christmas Day and that was the Frank Capra classic.

Thankfully, Harry agreed with her on this point. Alas it seemed to be the only Christmas tradition that their respective families shared.

Being the first Christmas they were due to spend together, Jo and Harry were trying to decide which of their families they should spend Christmas Day with.

It was proving a tricky decision to make. They lapsed into silence as they contemplated the dilemma.

Got it!' Harry suddenly exclaimed. Why don' t we alternate.'

You mean spend one Christmas with my family, then the next Christmas with your family?'

Absolutely.'

You' re a genius!'

Harry grinned.

I just know you' re going to love all of the wonderful Christmas traditions my family has,' Jo continued.

The smile faded from his face. You want to spend this Christmas with your family?' Yes.'

Oh. I was hoping that we could spend this Christmas with my family and then the following Christmas with yours,' he said.

Ah, I see.' Jo extracted a 10 pence piece from the back pocket. Toss you for it?' Heads.'

Tails never fails!' She tossed the coin high in the air.

As the coin spun, they watched it with baited breath. Frustratingly, as it descended, the coin bounced on the edge of the coffee table, then neatly pirouetted on to the carpet, before rolling beneath the sofa.

Anxious to discover where they would be spending Christmas, they manoeuvred the sofa aside in order to discover their fate. Much to their chagrin, the coin had seemingly vanished.

They spent an age searching for the missing coin, but to no avail. After moving the sofa back, they flopped down on it, each lost in their own thoughts.

Seeking inspiration, Harry disappeared into the kitchen and made fresh coffee. When he returned with their drinks, as he placed them on the coffee table, Jo made a suggestion.

What if we don' t spend Christmas with either of our families?'

Harry glanced around the tiny flat that they were renting.

Are you suggesting that we spend it here?'

No.'

Where then?'

Well, you' ve always hinted that you' d love to spend Christmas in the countryside, so why don' t we rent a country cottage for a few days over the festive period?'

That' s a fabulous idea,' Harry enthused.

Thanks,' Jo said, smiling. I do have them occasionally.'

Subsequently, on the 23rd of December, Jo and Harry found themselves driving down a

narrow lane in the heart of the Devon countryside, Jo concentrating on the road, Harry giving directions from the map book he was holding.

I think we need to take the next left,' he said.

Dropping into first gear, Jo duly turned into a narrow lane. They proceeded down the lane for a few 100 yards, until they stumbled upon a little cottage that looked like something out of a fairy tale.

As they parked in the driveway, snow began to fall, which created a perfect Christmas scene.

After unloading the car, the young couple explored their accommodation. At first glance, it seemed like they had picked an idyllic venue.

Alas, first impressions aren' t always accurate, as Jo discovered when she turned the kitchen tap on.

There was an ominous gurgle then a clunk, before a trickle of brown water dribbled out of the tap. Trying to be positive, Harry said: The taps probably haven' t been used for ages, I' m sure the water will turn clear after a while.'

Jo allowed the tap to run for several minutes, but the water didn' t change colour.

We could always boil it,' Harry suggested.

Or try the taps again after we' ve bought a few supplies?'

That sounds like a plan,' Harry said.

Having passed a farm shop on the journey, they decided to pay the store a visit, to stock up for Christmas. It proved to be a wise choice, as the farm shop sold an array of fine foods.

There were freshly-baked mince pies, home-made Christmas puddings, mulled cider, marzipan delicacies, dried fruits, crackers, a variety of mouth-watering cheeses and a host of other delights.

After returning to the cottage, as they unpacked the goods, Jo said: Do you know what would be really Christmassy?'

What?'

She glanced at the fireplace. A glass of mulled cider and a mince pie in front of a real log fire.'

Unfortunately, having grown up in the age of central heating, neither of them had any experience of lighting a real fire.

Twenty frustrating minutes later, the fire remained unlit.

I think the wood might be damp,' Harry said.

Trying to mask her disappointment, Jo replied: Never mind, there are always the radiators.'

Alas, no matter how much they fiddled with the thermostat, after half an hour not one of the radiators had achieved a temperature that could be described as anything other than lukewarm.

Subsequently, they decided to take a walk down to the nearby village, to try to warm up.

Much to their disappointment, they discovered that the rustic pub was closed for renovations, and the only church service advertised was an 11 o' clock mass on Christmas morning.

Jo sighed. `

I can' t believe there isn' t a Christmas Eve carol service.' `

I know,' Harry said. ` Our family always attends a carol service.' `

You never mentioned that when we were talking about Christmas traditions.' `

I can' t imagine why not,' he responded. ` That' s one of the most important traditions of all.'

She rewarded his response with a kiss. ` We could always investigate the church in the next village.' `

Why not,' he said.

Their plans to investigate had to be put on hold though, for when they returned to the cottage, the car wouldn' t start.

Being the 23rd of December, it took the breakdown service an age to reach them.

Thankfully, the problem was only a minor one, but by the time the vehicle had been fixed, neither of them felt like driving anywhere.

Instead, they sat down to watch one of their favourite adaptations of A Christmas Carol on television. Ten minutes after the film started, a power cut denied them this pleasure.

Jo tried to remain upbeat. I' m sure it will only last a few minutes.'

An hour later, and still no sign of power, they headed off to bed, feeling slightly defeated and somewhat bereft of Christmas cheer. The following morning, both Jo and Harry seemed tense and edgy. Neither of them spoke very much, until Jo broke the ice by making them a Christmassy mug of cocoa, brimming with cinnamon. `

Are you all right?' she asked Harry, as she handed him his drink. `

I' m fine. And you?' `

Never better.' They then lapsed into silence, neither speaking until they had finished their respective drinks.

Placing her mug on a coaster, Jo bit her bottom lip, then said: ` Actually, I' ve got a terrible confession.' `

So have I!' Harry exclaimed. `

Go ahead.' `

No, you first.' `

Together on a count of three?'

All right.'

Jo took a deep breath and was about to begin to count, when she decided they were being silly, so she confessed.

You seemed a little glum last night, so when you popped out to check the car, I rang your family and invited them to visit tomorrow.'

Much to her surprise,

Harry grinned.

What' s so funny?'

Talk about great minds,' he said. I rang your family earlier, and invited them to visit tomorrow.'

For a split second, neither of them spoke, then they both burst out laughing.

You' re the best,' Harry said. No, we'r e the best,' Jo replied. Now let' s both fix that fire.'

Moments later, an impressive fire was roaring in the grate, which warmed the cottage in no time.

As they kissed on the hearth, Harry said: I think we' re going to have the best Christmas ever.'

Jo smiled.

I think you might be right.'

T he taps probably havenÕ t been used for ages, IÕ m sure the water will turn clear after a whileÕ