It’s national Christmas jumper day today and the world is a brighter, happier place because of it. The children skipped into school in their festive sweaters, grinning from ear to ear. The playground was a awash with rosy cheeks and squeals of delight as they buzzed around with glee. Not only was everyone really excited to go to school, but this two year-old national fundraiser is also giving a much needed boost to Save the Children. I wasn’t much a fan of the Christmas jumper when they started to resurface in recent years, but anything that raises money for a great cause and I’m in. Oh and they make getting the children dressed in the morning so much easier because they can’t wait to put them on!
The same can’t be said however for this year’s nativity play…Martha was originally cast as an angel. She was delighted with this, being one who loves anything girly and gorgeous. Give her a pair of glittering wings and she’s as happy as Larold. I was delighted too. We’ve got enough paraphernalia in our house to dress a whole chorus of Angels! Job done, I thought. However, one day last week she came home looking glum and proceeded to tell me, with a quivering chin, that she was now being the Innkeeper as the little boy who was going to do it had to have his tonsils out. With little regard for the poor boy she asked me to intervene. “Can you tell his mum to only take his tonsils out next week please?” O-Oh. Having her halo changed out for a tea towel felt little more than a demotion to Martha. This was all made much worse by the fact that I was going to have to make my own costume. Having always been the person bemoaning shop-bought outfits for Halloween etc it was time to prove my point, that homemade is always the best made!
Having persuaded Martha (just!) to help me, we set to work. A pillow case with holes in for her head and arms and a dressing gown belt later, we were all but done. She was so excited by her design skills (I let her take the lead..) she decided to bling things up a bit. The result was a delightfully glittery tunic which would not have looked out of place on Elizabeth Taylor in her latter years. My gorgeous, funny little girl has now announced that angels are boring, oh and she has also added a sewing machine to her Christmas list. Thanks for the heads up Martha!
