Christmas Quotes: Imagining Christmas

Over the course of December each year, I share a number of Christmassy quotes which have caught my attention through the year

Today's quote comes from The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh, which I read and reviewed recently. You can read my review here.

 

Jeannie was decorating the Christmas cake, coaxing the royal icing to resemble snow, placing the tiny wooden Santa that Violet had used each year since she was a child. It was a dense fruit cake moistened with cider brandy, and it would last until January despite the huge hunks that Caleb would eat from Christmas Eve onwards. Jeannie was planning Christmas Day in her head as she worked.

And a bit later....

Jeannie would cook plenty of crunchy roast potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. Ella and Caleb would help. Violet always made the Yorkshire pudding; no one could quite make them as light and fluffy as she could. There would be a Christmas pudding flamed with cider brandy, a sprig of holly on top, brandy butter. She'd offer an apple crumble, ice cream, fruit salad. It would be a great spread. Jeannie saw the image as a Christmas card, so many happy faces lit golden and amber in the firelight, glasses raised, candles glowing, snow piled in drifts outside the window. She loved snow; she loved to walk in the orchard and feel the soft crunch of it underfoot. She smiled and surveyed the icing the cake; it was perfect, as Christmas would be perfect this year.

Violet is the main character's 95 year old mother who has a joke for every occasion, so I thought I would share one of her Christmas jokes as part of this post.

What is Santa's favourite kind of pizza? One that's deep-pan, crisp and even.

And another...

How did Mary and Joseph know that Jesus was 8lb 2oz when he was born? They had a weigh in a manger.

And that's enough of those.