A typical scene?

 

A typical scene?

Christmas cards come in many designs, but frequently snow is featured on them in UK. We used to have snowy winters, though I cannot remember ever having a white Christmas in the south of England. I have lived in many other regions, but a white Christmas has always been most elusive.

 Nonetheless, many cards depict pretty scenes of snow-covered roofs, or churches nestled in the hearts of picture postcard villages. Not many people live in such locations.

This mug shows a snowy house on a fine, bright day, with a cheerful robin in the foreground. It looks idyllic. Imagine the roaring fire in the drawing room and the kitchen bursting with tempting smells. In the dining room the table is laid with the best china and silver and glassware in expectation of a fine feast, impeccably cooked and served. Everyone’s plate, warmed beforehand, of course, is laden with delicious fare and no-one’s food is cold.

If you can manage that, I applaud you. Etiquette dictates that no-one may start to eat until everyone has been served. That is possible if there is a party of four or five, but with a family of fifteen or more, which happens as people add to the company with spouses and offspring, it is well-nigh impossible.

The reality is rather different. The house, old, draughty, with uncertain air currents and ill-fitting windows and doors, gives its inhabitants cold noses and toes. The fire gutters and goes out, the roof leaks, and everything feels damp. Lunch was planned for one o’clock, but the oven is unpredictable and those in charge of the cooking had forgotten about the gravy or the sprouts. The huge turkey, which barely fits in the oven, should have been started on its culinary journey at least three hours earlier. Eventually, everything is ready and the meal commences hours later. Despite the delays, everyone enjoys their meal, but most of all, it’s being together that can be pleasing.

The other side of the mug shows a little more of the village in which the big house stands. Splendid trees, crowned with snow, provide a background to the gabled roofs of houses. The stream that runs under the bridge is frozen. It is a peaceful, bucolic scene.

Again, the truth may be more prosaic. Heavy rains fall and melt the snow, the water level in the stream rises, and the inhabitants find their homes flooded. Services are cut off and those who had the foresight to stock up with candles try to enjoy the strangeness of a home without any noise from appliances, hoping that the novelty will not last long.

However, it’s fun to dream.

The bands at the top and bottom of the mug show oak leaves and acorns, national symbols of the UK. They represent strength and fortitude, good fortune and health.

Actually, I must have liked this mug enough to buy it ten years ago, but I really don’t care much for it now. What was I thinking?