Daughter of Claus: Day XXIV

Anticipation and excitement

On the jukebox: One More Sleep ‘til Christmas by The Muppets

In Stempster, to this day, stockings will be hung out on Christmas Eve, “in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there”. The combined age of the five-person household is now 254. Anyone who stays at Stempster at Christmas hangs up a stocking, hoping that Santa will drop by, whether they are brand new (Elfi wasn’t even three weeks old last Christmas) or a little bit more than that (Dad is now comfortably into his ninth decade).

This had, of course, always been the tradition for the children of the household, but a few years back stockings started appearing for Dad and Mum as well. Possibly for practicality reasons, possibly just to make it easier for Santa Claus given guests in the house sometimes mean sleeping arrangements change, the stockings are hung on the chairs round the kitchen table.

In Cumbria, Father Christmas has a slightly different tradition (current understanding is that these things work differently in England than they do in Scotland). Here, sacks of toys will appear during the night, placed at the foot of the bed.

There are few things more exciting as a child than waking to see a sack or a stocking bulging with promise. It seems like bedtime on Christmas Eve will never arrive, and then it does all of a sudden, with laughter and little feet dashing round the house, trying desperately to burn off some of the energy that has built up throughout the day. The NORAD Santa Tracker has been left open on the computer for the second half of the day. He’s getting closer all the time! Mince pies and a sherry (or, more often in recent years, whisky) are carefully laid out, with a carrot for the reindeer. Children are bundled into bed, and bedtime stories are attempted, but the wriggling from under the covers hints at there still being far too much residual excitement. Eventually - and quite possibly after a few instances of being escorted back to bed after creeping through to the sitting room - the little ones drop off to sleep, dreaming of the morning when they will wake not just to find presents, but also a handwritten note, scrawled in an unknown hand, thanking them for the food and drink, explaining how very much appreciated the mince pies were, and how much the reindeer were grateful for the carrot on a very busy night.

I would love to hear about your own Christmas folklore and memories. What is Christmas Eve like in your home?