The continuing story of the house Joe and Mary Ann Scott lived in for over 50 years and the families that have lived here since.*
Now in its long history none of those who have lived here before us ever faced the moment when buying the chocolate advent Calendars had become a thing of the past.
In the great sweep of history it may seem the most trivial of events but it marks a milestone in the story of this house.
Joe and Mary Ann never had children, John, Mike and Lois along with Mr and Mrs Hunter were really just passing through on to greater things and families elsewhere.
So it was only us who had children here and now have they all grown up and moved out.
Of course they will all still be here for Christmas for varying lengths of time but not from day one of opening the calendar.
Last year was the last when there was a row of them side by side on the bookshelf, each with their name carefully written at the top, because you can never be too careful even with a 23 year old that confusion will not cause them to eat someone else’s December 17.
And along with that has gone the hard decision of which product to go for from the bewildering choice.
That said it invariably ended up with four Cadbury’s and one Milky Bar.
But they have now gone the way of the Easter Eggs and the east egg hunts and mark a shift in the story of the house.
Still, pretty much all the other Christmas traditions have stayed the course.
The presents will still be put out on the night each in beside their own individual stockings which have been with them since birth and always in the same location around the front room.
And as they return with their partners these two have been added to the collection.
There will be the two Christmas trees indulgent I know but Adam’s in the precinct will do us a good deal as they have done for 30 years.
The big one will stand in the front room and the baby one in the dining room.
On the day, after the opening of the presents and before we eat there will be the traditional football match on the Rec, marked only by the fact that what once lasted an hour is more likely to be 30 minutes of gentle kick about.
This year we will have Simone and Rosa again who fly in from Milan on the 22nd and I am hoping that Ron Carol and Hayden will pop in.
Such are the traditions which all of us evolve over time.
Now I have no idea how Joe and Mary Ann celebrated Christmas but for Mike Lois and John it was a holiday of “two halves” with the actual day spent with families in Leeds and Weston.
Before the event and afterwards they would be back here and Christmas happened just a few days before the 25th with a big meal which included anyone who was around.
I was there for the Christmas of 1977 and back again when we had bought the house a few years later.
Which means I can account in one way or another for over a third of the history of the house reflecting that it wasn’t always advent calendars and I guess will not be again.
And that is the postscript because there was surprise and consternation that the advent calendars would be missing and so they have duly appeared in a row, although three of them were not touched till the 20th.
So the house continues to exert its traditions which is pretty much as it should be.
Pictures; Advent Calendars 2014, Christmas 1977 courtesy of Lois Elsden, and Christmas, 2012, 2013 from the collection of Andrew Simpson
*The story of house,
http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20story%20of%20a%20house
 |
| Christmas 2014 |
In the great sweep of history it may seem the most trivial of events but it marks a milestone in the story of this house.
Joe and Mary Ann never had children, John, Mike and Lois along with Mr and Mrs Hunter were really just passing through on to greater things and families elsewhere.
So it was only us who had children here and now have they all grown up and moved out.
Of course they will all still be here for Christmas for varying lengths of time but not from day one of opening the calendar.
 |
| Christmas 2014 |
And along with that has gone the hard decision of which product to go for from the bewildering choice.
That said it invariably ended up with four Cadbury’s and one Milky Bar.
But they have now gone the way of the Easter Eggs and the east egg hunts and mark a shift in the story of the house.
Still, pretty much all the other Christmas traditions have stayed the course.
 |
| Christmas 2012 |
And as they return with their partners these two have been added to the collection.
There will be the two Christmas trees indulgent I know but Adam’s in the precinct will do us a good deal as they have done for 30 years.
The big one will stand in the front room and the baby one in the dining room.
On the day, after the opening of the presents and before we eat there will be the traditional football match on the Rec, marked only by the fact that what once lasted an hour is more likely to be 30 minutes of gentle kick about.
This year we will have Simone and Rosa again who fly in from Milan on the 22nd and I am hoping that Ron Carol and Hayden will pop in.
Such are the traditions which all of us evolve over time.
 |
| Christmas 2013 |
Before the event and afterwards they would be back here and Christmas happened just a few days before the 25th with a big meal which included anyone who was around.
I was there for the Christmas of 1977 and back again when we had bought the house a few years later.
 |
| Christmas 2013 |
And that is the postscript because there was surprise and consternation that the advent calendars would be missing and so they have duly appeared in a row, although three of them were not touched till the 20th.
So the house continues to exert its traditions which is pretty much as it should be.
Pictures; Advent Calendars 2014, Christmas 1977 courtesy of Lois Elsden, and Christmas, 2012, 2013 from the collection of Andrew Simpson
*The story of house,
http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20story%20of%20a%20house
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