Christmas mugs
This is something of a rambling post. ‘So, what’s new?’ I hear you mutter.
A few years ago, I started collecting Christmas mugs and for a while they were brought into use for the whole of the festive season, from December 1st to January 6th.
It’s odd the way some people apportion blame to inanimate objects. For example, when my children were small, if one of them caught their shin against a chair, the cry would go up, ‘Naughty chair!’ or was that just my mother-in-law who said that? (My mother would say, ‘Never mind, rub it better,' just as I do.)
A comforting path lies somewhere between truth and fantasy. When my husband was a little boy of five or six, he broke his arm, but instead of telling him he was going to the hospital, his mother told him he was going to a party. I suppose she was trying to be kind and spare him the fear of going to hospital, but I can’t think he would have been in much of a party-going mood. A little gentle preparation would have been much kinder.
When a toddler is told he’s going to have a baby brother or sister, all too often emphasis is laid on what fun it will be to have a sibling to play with. I made a peg doll family to explain to my small children that the baby would be small and noisy and not a playmate for a very long time. Would it have made any difference to them to let them believe that another baby would not affect the family dynamic? I don’t know, but they seem to have weathered the trauma of additional siblings and grown into sensible, loving parents in their own families.
Three-year-old Charlie had a very robust reaction when Jack was brought home from hospital. ‘Put him in the dustbin!’ he said. The two boys, now nine and six years old, are very affectionate with each other, most of the time, and Charlie is quite pleased with his younger brother. Jack is certainly delighted to have a big brother.
I love Christmas mugs, but only have one and always forget to use it. I never lied to my toddlers if I had to take them to the doctor or clinic for vaccinations, even told them "it might hurt a bit but I know you are brave", we did sometimes say things like "naughty rug, tripping you like that", but if they tripped on toys they were told "you should have put them away when you finished playing".
ReplyDeleteIt's usually best to be honest. I hope you've remembered your Christmas mug now?
DeleteI guess your difficulty paid off when you got those mugs out.
ReplyDeleteAt least I didn't drop them!
DeleteA had a couple of hours today watching my greats interact with their siblings and cousins. It is most interesting to observe.
ReplyDeleteI think I preferred what you did in 2023. Ok, ok. They are quite cute.
I know they're not to everybody's taste, but they cheer me up.
DeleteI love our Christmas mugs, Will loved George from the moment he saw him, still does, when Molly was born we had no way to prepare George, so for a few weeks he was scared every time she cried.
ReplyDeleteOh, poor George! Babies can make truly appalling noises.
DeleteHi Janice - those are great fun ... ours in the shops tend to be puffins, or Beachy Head lighthouse. I have to say I can't remember that far back ... but I know my two brothers gave me headaches and love ... I had a friend and as 3 year olds we were together ... the burping, smelly one could stay where he was!! The three of us did used to run away from my youngest brother ... life moves along - all well now. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteAge differences melt with time, don't they?
Delete"Put him in the dustbin!" is hilarious. The mug is charming. More penguins!
ReplyDeleteIt was a spontaneous reaction - absolutely priceless.
DeleteIt does seem that some years were not quite in the festive mood to get out all the decorations even though we love them. This year I'm not doing anything but a tree. Normally there's other things out. Since I was the youngest of two I never had to go through the experience of being told there was a new baby on the way, after all wouldn't I always want to be the baby of the family, lol.
ReplyDeleteRelinquishing the position of only/youngest is quite difficult, so you were spared that.
DeleteHang on, wasn't it Greg Wallace who guffawed, ‘Never mind, rub it better'? Now viewers are saying to the BBC, ‘Put him in the dustbin!’. Is there a grosser grocer in the kingdom? Up The Penguins!
ReplyDeleteGood name for an ice hockey team! 🐧🐧🐧
DeleteMy boys were great mates with each other until the older one moved to secondary school. Then having a younger brother became a bit less amusing to his mates in the Big School.
ReplyDeleteIt's annoying if younger ones insist on tagging along, I can understand. 😀
DeleteI can't understand telling an injured child they are going to a party. What sort of sense does that make? I think that it would have been far more reassuring to hear that he was being take to a doctor who could fix his arm good as new.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't do him any lasting harm, as far as I can tell, though he's never forgotten it!
DeleteI don't think we have any Christmas mugs ... though we have a couplie with bright red Cardinals on them that look a little Christmas-y because of the red!
ReplyDeleteThe Cardinals are beautiful - Christmassy in their own right.
DeleteYour Christmas mugs are especially good! Ours are mostly dumb Santa being all jolly and ho ho ho ish, What is there to be so cheery about this year. Not much, so in the cupboard they will pine , for a better time.
ReplyDeleteMy older brother never did forgive me for being born- thus he considered himself an only child , the only one that truly mattered. He insisted that I was adopted. I loved him dearly , idolized him - realizing my place I became rather sneaky to get attention. I made it out of the dust bin, no broken bones!
How funny that he thought being adopted was more acceptable than being a foll-blood sibling.
Delete*full*
Deleteso this could have been a blame the mugs post, but you turned it into a great story.. when I fell over the storage bin I pulled out from under the bed last year, left it half out, went back later and fell over it, knocking my head on the dresser, my arm on the bedside table, turning the table and lamp over, bleeding from 3 places, I blamed myself, when I showed bob I said, I am just an idiot in my old age.
ReplyDeleteI like how you look at life about bringing babies home, and your rub it better story, reminded me of the time my son David at 7 years old, tryed to hammer a coke bottle in the ground and nearly cut his finger off. he was screaming, I walked him to the bathroom to clean it up and decided it was bad, so wrapped it tightly and leaving a trail of blood down the hallway, put him in The Front Seat, there were no rules or seats back then, clamped his other hand over the tight rag and said, just hold that tight so it doesnt bleed, we are going to the emergency room..
Accidents happen and some are caused. Poor David - I don't suppose he tried that trick again!
DeleteI don't have any Christmas mugs. I feel deprived!
ReplyDeleteAww! Maybe you'll get one in your Christmas stocking. 🎅
DeleteI actually have several Christmas mugs also. Time to retrieve from that upper shelf in the cupboard and put them on display.
ReplyDeleteThey are cheerful to see.
DeleteFinally got my Christmas mugs out today.
ReplyDeleteI kiss it better. And I'm sometimes quite impatient with grandchildren when they seem to make a big fuss over nothing! Bad granny.
Oh, yes, kiss it better comes to the lips more readily for very little ones.
DeleteWhat a lovely idea to collect Christmas mugs, although it's a pity that can only be used for such a limited time ...
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock it must have been for Barry that he ended up in hospital instead of at a party. Charlie's reaction to his baby brother made me laugh :-) xxx
Charlie is a very entertaining child - a deep thinker.
DeleteI do like your Christmas Penguin Mugs.
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas Mug features a cheerful snowman!
It's Saturday night as I type this and the wind is still howling outside but fortunately no damage (yet). Others have not been so fortunate and there have been fatalities too in Storm Darragh.
My thoughts are with all those affected.
All the best Jan
Darragh has been less than friendly and I'm sorry for those seriously affected. We have lots of trees around us, so high winds are always a bit of a problem, but we're well inland so not at as much risk as so many.
DeleteLove your Christmas mug. I like mugs, but I'm now of the mind (as I'm trying to clean out the house!) is, that if I bring one in and I have to get rid of one!
ReplyDeleteThat's a brilliant attitude. I should adopt it . . . but I know I won't. 😧
DeleteThis is a lovely ramble. A pretty Christmas mug.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid my mind does wander rather . . .
ReplyDelete