Category: Christmas Thoughts - Roaming Brit

From a new life in spain, to an old life in britain, 'roaming brit' documents uncertain times!

On 31st January 2016, my partner and I left Southampton to start a new life as Expats in Gran Alacant, on the Costa Blanca. This blog will document our journey, as we navigate the Spanish system, travelling a path untried and untested. With Brexit looming, political turmoil in Europe and an unpredictable future, harsh decisions have to be made. Illness, family bonds and a Change of heart all make for challenging times in a life of a 'Roaming Brit!'

My Favourite Christmas Present - Tanya Hatcher!

24/12/2019

I was having a chat with the lovely Tanya at work today about her favourite Christmas present and she told me about a gift she recently received. She spoke about her son giving her tickets for a show she had always wanted to see - 'Disney on Ice.' After recently celebrating her Birthday and with Christmas around the corner, she was delighted to receive such a poignant dispensation. Tanya sent me this delightful video of her priceless reaction; the joy all of us experience when we open a present from a loved one!

As I conclude 'Christmas Thoughts' for another year, I have been amazed by the response of all of you who have taken part in 'My Favourite Christmas Present.' Christmas is a magical time of year and holds many special memories for me, which is why I enjoy hearing from all of you. Everyone has a story to tell, that is important to them, which srikes a chord in all of us at this time of year. The look on Tanya's face will be mirrored by millions of families up and down the Country tomorrow morning and I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Christmas and a big thank you for your continued support throughout the year!

Christmas - A Sense Of Belonging!

22/12/2019

This time of year is exhausting. I have just finished a mammoth weekend of work and have finally crashed out on my bed, before another hectic day tomorrow. When you work in retail Christmas is the busiest time of year; you get very little time off. I am fortunate enough to like my job or rather jobs, enjoy being around people and even love the festive season. There isn’t a lot that gets me down and I am a naturally happy person most of the time, so serving people in a busy supermarket, pulling a pint behind a bar or volunteering at Cancer Research is nearly always a joy.

This year I am lucky enough to have Christmas Day and Boxing Day off and will be able to spend quality time with family. Dad will be spending it with my Brother in Basingstoke and I will be with my Aunt and Cousins here in Portsmouth. Christmas is very different to those of the past, especially when Darrell and I lived in Spain. I haven’t enjoyed a family Yuletide for many years, so this is all very different for me, but I am relishing being home, especially when it matters most.

Working at the Newcome Arms last night, I felt comfortable, relaxed and part of the local neighbourhood in a way I have never felt anywhere else. I have written much about the importance of community in the past and have lived in many different parts of the World, so I am somewhat of an expert when integrating with the ‘locals;’ whatever I am doing, I am happiest around people. Mum always used to remark on the friendships I had and my personable nature and that is one aspect of me that has never changed, no matter where I am. Bonds and companionship are consequential, especially with Darrell currently residing in Australia; my relationships with others remain significant and crucial in determining my direction living in the UK.

Christmas is a period of excess and spending time with those closest; when I look back, I really have been a part of some fantastic occasions, the memories of which are vividly flooding back as I write. The raucous parties of the past and cooking for a house full of people are long gone. Today I am happiest in the company of family, opening presents and having a pint or two of Stella; rather tame in comparison to the ghosts of Christmas past. Darrell and I always invited people over on Christmas Day, who would otherwise be alone and that was also another important aspect of our Christmas together. Today that has changed and this conspicuous gesture has become a distant memory. When we are eventually back together, I would love to rekindle this tradition. Everyone should open their doors at Christmas and give someone less fortunate the same joy we all experience.

Tomorrow I have another long shift at work and it is going to be a busy, exhausting day. I am tired and warn out, but I do have Christmas Day and Boxing Day to recover and enjoy that much needed, valuable time with my relatives. It would have been nice to spend time with Dad, after losing Mum in October but that just can’t happen. I have never been close to my Brother and can’t be in his company for too long without falling out; therefore we do what is necessary and avoid each other and go our separate ways. It works for us as a family, can makes things a little awkward at times but essentially it’s the way it’s always been.

Living on the fringes of family life has never been ideal, especially at this time of year, but is there such a thing as the perfect family? I have a great relationship with my Aunt and Cousins and that is all that matters. In the same way we can’t always have what we want for Christmas, we can’t always have what we want in life. As long as we accept our limitations and understand our place in the grand scheme of things, life can be pretty good. Christmas is what you make it, the people you choose to spend time with, those you invite to be a part of it and most important of all the quality time you enjoy with them. Do what makes you happy, not what others expect and enjoy this special, memorable and on occasion, challenging time of year!

My Favourite Christmas Present - Luke Martin-Jones!

18/12/2019

I have always loved Christmas, ever since I was a young child. As the dark nights became darker, the bright festive lights would flicker into action and like every other family we would prepare for the big day. I would spend the weeks before Christmas, browsing through Mum’s mail order catalogue, looking for inspiration, trying to decide what to ask for. Of course as a child of the 1970s, I had a vast array of toys to choose from – Action Men, Twister, Spirograph and Lego, to name just a few. As a child I was never greedy or demanding and was always grateful for what I received; I understood my parents weren’t wealthy but never went without and have some fond memories growing up in a time before computers.

My favourite Christmas present wasn’t chosen by me or given by my parents, it was a gift from my Grandparents, something I could never have imagined owning myself and a deeply poignant part of my Childhood.

It must have been 1978 or 1979 when my Grandad Eric and Nanny Violet presented my brother and I with a new Ferguson black and white television set, an amazing present at the time. Technology in the 70s was pretty expensive compared to today, so this was a top of the range gift that a child like me could only dream of. Switching over the three TV channels at will, without being told off was a luxury that gave me a sense of independence I didn’t have before.

My Father was never a fan of the newer channel ITV, so consequently we never really watched it, except when Mum watched Coronation Street. With a brand new Portable sat on my chest of drawers in my bedroom, I could finally see all the programmes I had wanted to watch, but was never allowed. I remember vividly, sneakily watching a show called ‘Tales of the Unexpected.’ This was a bizarre programme, showcasing small one off drama’s that were on occasion quite raunchy for a young eight year old boy, but it was a big part of my growing up process and a show that remains very firmly in my memories from that wonderful age of discovery from innocence!

Televisions are common place now, every household having one in every room, but when I was small they were a ‘big deal;’ having more than one, meant you had made it and I almost felt like the ‘posh lot’ on the expensive side of the street. For once I had something to boast about to my friends; this was my gateway to another World and a future we all now take for granted.

Christmas is a time for making memories and although I no longer have the TV, I still have the recollections from that time. Today that Television would be classed as retro, almost an antique, worthless, harking back to a decade most want to forget. Then it was a life changing present that inspired and educated me, gave me hope for the future and a dream of travelling the World, something I do for real today! A present like no other and a link to a life growing up at a time of change!

My Favourite Christmas Present - Darrell Martin!

16/12/2019

Christmas in Australia is a hot affair. I would say my indy 500 bike was my favourite present but in 40c searing heat and another flat tyre from a environment covered and I mean covered in prickles it would be a lie.

Before the Internet and mobile phones there was a 1985 Sharp red stereo auto reverse cassette player. This little boom box was my most treasured teen angst prize. I could play Tears For Fears, Madonna and Aha louder than ever before; Only sometimes the tapes would get chewed so it had a am/fm radio. Unfortunately outback Australia only had am stations so precious tapes were most important. The auto reverse part was the most important bit.

Most of the commercial music I loved then only had 2 good tracks so this new auto feature could rewind and forward ALBUM FILLER. Although I wouldn't swap my smart phone music player now, 1985 was saved by the greatest present ever.

Darrell Martin

My Favourite Christmas Present - Christopher Bunday!

14/12/2019

One year I was given Will Smith's Miami CD along with my first CD player. I was pretty disappointed as I wasn't a fan of the song, however when I opened the CD case it appeared that the staff of, I'm presuming Woolworths (these were the days when everybody bought their music and movies from Woolworths and the days when you took an empty CD case to the till and the staff got the disc from a huge cupboard)... Well it had appeared that the staff had accidentally put a copy of Chumba Wumba 'I get knocked down' in the case along with my Will Smith CD.

My parents were annoyed and thought it was bad (they seemed to think it was an adult song due to the swearing. I was pretty chuffed though... Ironically the Will Smith CD had an awesome B-side which ended up being my favourite.

Also though, one year I accidentally opened my brothers present which was a mosaic kit and then got to keep it (my parents assuming it was their fault) said that 'father Christmas had forgotten to put a name on it' when I was holding the torn wrapping paper in my hands with Kiefers name in bold letters lol. So I screwed it up and chucked it in with the other wrapping paper.

Christopher Bunday

My Favourite Christmas Present - Liam Purdy!

12/12/2019

So the year was 1996 and I was a 7 year old boy, no idea what I was getting for Xmas...

My main present was a Sony PlayStation from my Dad! It absolutely changed my life and as I grew older, I realised a lovely release from real life was gaming. At the time consoles were nowhere near as technologically advanced as they are now, but to me it was everything, a Complete game changer, as I have always bought every PlayStation since.

We used to have a skiing game and Tekken when I first got it, with WIRED controllers!

Liam Purdy

My Favourite Christmas Present - Julie Walton Cordara!

8/12/2019

My Mum made every Christmas special, she gave us everything we ever wanted. She got into debt every year for us, as Dad was a gambler, leaving us with very little money. All my friends expected us to have nothing on Christmas Day, but that was never the case and still isn't. Mum made Christmas magical, she is my World; if I am anything like her, then I am a very lucky lady!

Julie Walton Cordara

My Favourite Christmas Present - Ellie Raven!

5/12/2019

I was never a girly girl, preferring to play with my mates Action Men rather than my Sindy doll. My favourite Christmas present was a white BMX bike, with black mag wheels. To my Dad's horror, I used to love going out on it with my friends from the neighbourhood. The best Christmas present ever!

Ellie Raven

My Favourite Christmas Present - Deborah Brown!

29/11/2019

My favourite Christmas presents, were everything we got really; When I was a child, my parents had very little, but we never went without! Christmas was always a time for families and not just about how much we had!

....However several things come to mind: A Tiny Tears, scooter and a farmyard. I remember Dad stuck all the pieces onto a big board - farm buildings and fences. A special part of my childhood!

Deborah Brown

My Favourite Christmas Present - Samantha Brooks!

29/11/2019

I’ve been trying to think about this....
and whist I can remember different gifts, one that’s sticking out to me is a CD I received when I was about 3 or 4 (my first CD) and it was a collection of Disney songs. The cover was orange with Mickey Mouse on, I think I still have it somewhere to this day x

Samantha Brooks