Christmas is for children
It’s no good dreaming of a white Christmas in North Cyprus. It hardly ever happens; if and when it does, it’s a feeble excuse for that much-loved anthem of longing. So, you won’t hear sleighbells in the snow, but you can rejoice in something even more uplifting – the sound of children’s laughter.
The voices are Swedish and German, Russian and English and Italian, united as they have been for centuries, in squeals of delight at the prospect of parties and presents to come.
As they charged and chased around the Christmas Market, I grabbed our rattling table, slightly alarmed that my mulled wine and mince pie might hit the decking. I must have looked a bit grumpy. ” Christmas IS for children,” admonished my wife. As ever, she was right.
“Snow is falling, All around me
Children playing, Having fun
It’s the season for Love and understanding
Merry Christmas everyone”
I allowed myself to be overcome by a warm glow, the mulled wine doing its duty, enhanced by the childhood rhymes of the carols from those little voices.
With a small entrance fee and contributions from the stallholders, the market at The Potting Shed raised nearly £1500 for a local cancer charity. It’s not so bleak Midwinter here, but expat events across the country still evoke the essential goodwill of Christmas.
