Countdown to Christmas with Jane Richardson

Hello and welcome to Day 5 in my Countdown to Christmas Blog! Today’s featured guest is Jane Richardson. Jane is chatting with me about some of her fondest Christmas memories. And with the snowflakes swirling down on the bristly pines, coating the branches like spools of angel hair, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Oliver, donned in his Santa cap and reindeer antlers, puts his favorite tune on the stereo and sings along with glee.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Everywhere you go,
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Humming along, he hangs candy canes on the tree. Hearing the silver bells jingle on the door, off he runs to greet Jane.

Sharon hugs her friend as she rushes in, her cheeks all aglow from the cold. Merry Christmas, Jane! You look a bit chilled. Have a seat in front of the roaring fire. Oliver, do bring us some wine and cheese, please!

Oliver, still singing, winks at Jane as he pours mulled wine into two glasses. He unveils a piping hot loaf of crusty bread and Blue cheese. Handing her one glass, he snatches up the other with his jack-be-nimble fingers.. Merry Christmas, Jane!

Sharon: Ah, Oliver, wasn’t that wine supposed to be for me, your boss? You know I haven’t gone shopping for your present yet, but…

Oliver, taking on the role as a magician, produces another glass out of thin air. Pours it for Sharon.

Sharon: Thank you. Sigh. So Jane, do you have a favorite Christmas memory near and dear to your heart?

Jane: You know, with children in the house, you always think ‘well, that was the best Christmas ever!’ every year, and then the next one comes around, and they’re a little older and do things differently this year, and have different interests, but they still love Christmas to bits. You see them grow and change and yet still retain that Christmas magic inside them, and I don’t think that ever really goes away. I can honestly say that every Christmas brings its own unique moments, and adds to the memories of all the years of the children growing up, and each one will always be special to me.

Sharon: That’s lovely. And how about a favorite tradition? You know how I adore them and cherish them. Please share.

Jane: Making decorations for the house in the lead-up to the big day, everything from simple paper chains or cinnamon stick bundles to embroidered and scented felt hearts. I love sitting around the table with the children, a selection of Christmas songs playing and maybe a glass of mulled wine nearby. It’s a lovely way to get everyone involved in the preparations, and it’s so relaxing – a lovely way to ignore all the madness going on in the shops and the town and remember that the special thing about Christmas is all being together at home, safe and warm and happy. That’s what matters.

Sharon: How very true. And you know another thing I love to collect at Christmas is those recipes that have become tradition, passed on from generation to generation. Do you have any to share?

Jane smiles, reminiscing. I do. And here it is from me to you!

Daddy’s Golden Toast!

When we were little kids, it was a tradition that Dad always made the toast for us on Christmas morning. Most of the year he’d be at work, of course, so having him around in the holidays to do ‘cooking’ things always seemed like such a novelty when we were small! Well, over the years, ‘Daddy’s Golden Toast’ developed into a huge part of our Christmas morning tradition. It was just ordinary buttered toast, but he’d make sure it was done to a perfect gold, buttered lavishly right up to the edges, cut into perfect squares and served with great ceremony, still piping hot, on the best china. It still makes me smile to think of it, how my sister and I used to squeal with delight when the toast arrived. As with the best traditions and the very best seasonal recipes, it’s found its way into my own family Christmases, only now it’s my husband who is ‘Daddy,’ and who makes the extra-special golden toast on Christmas morning!

Sharon: Mmmm. I love it. Thank you for dropping by to chat with us during this busy time, Jane. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Oliver rushes over, mistletoe in hand. Holding it above Jane’s head, he steals a kiss, running off, his heart all a flutter!

Take time to reminisce this holiday season. The magic of Christmas will make all the hustle and bustle come full circle! What’s that, Oliver? Sharon slaps herself. But of course. How could I forget. Jane has a Christmas Wishes Contest on her blog, Home Thoughts From A Broad, so don't forget to enter!

Oliver once more elbows Sharon in the ribcage, nearly knocking her over. All right, Oliver, give me a moment, will ya, while we check out the lovely photo on today’s blog. Yes, Oliver, I agree. All those sparkles puts one in the Christmas spirit!

Scots-born Jane Richardson now lives on the south coast of England where the sun always shines and it never, ever rains, not ever never. She lives in a state of permanent yet jolly chaos with her husband, two children (she thinks they might be hers), several felines, a pooch, a tank full of goldfish and an invisible fox who barks beneath her window every night and keeps her awake. She’s been a management trainer, a stage manager, a dresser and part-time costume assistant and a holistic therapist, so it’s fair to say she’s Been About A Bit!’