Gerry
12-23-2007, 04:50 PM
I hadn't even started school yet but I can remember this day like it was yesterday. We all got on our Sunday best, even through it wasn't Sunday and Mam led us all across the street to wait on the bus to take us down into down. It was a big double decker bus and I remember the conductor stepping of the big step at the back to lift me up that big gap and let me run along the bus to climb onto the shiny leather seats that faced each other. My younger brother had to be lifted up onto the seat by my big sister but I was big enough to get up there all my myself.
I can still remember my stomach feeling like a wee bird was trapped inside it and kept banging against the sides as it tried to escape. We had been good for so so long and promised to be good forever to make sure we got to see him today.
As the big bus shook to a stop in the Guildhall Square I remember the bells chiming way up in the bell tower to announce our arrival. Well that's what my Mam said so it must be right. We all climbed out and the nice conductor lifted me out onto the street as the pram was carried by my big sisters and Mam had here arms filled with my wee brother. He may have been younger than me but my Mam said he was solid. I think that means fat but I'm not allowed to say that or I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day.
We climbed Shipquay Street and boy do I mean climb. The man that built a street on a big hill like that must have been one strong man, or very stupid but I'm not allowed to say stupid, or I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day.
At the very top of the hill I could see the statues of men fighting. They were green and angry men, with guns and knives and I remember the sailor man was in his bare feet. He must have been while cold and maybe that's why he looked so angry. The rings of tiny red flowers where still at the bottom of the statues so maybe the sailor and soldier man are buried there. I don't know we never talked about them in our house because it made my Granny cry and I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day if I made my Granny cry.
We were right at the top of the hill before we seen the big big shop with the green roof, green like the soldier and sailor men, it's windows all full of snow even through it was raining outside. The man in the uniform opened the big double doors and in we went to join the cue, the cue that wound up and up and up all those broad wooden stairs. I stayed in at the wall because I knew them stairs were going to fall down with so many people on them and they were bending every time a big fat woman bounced down them, but I couldn't say that or I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day.
After days of waiting and climbing step by step we came to the very very top of that big shop and way up there there were no windows to look out. They had trees growing inside the shop, Christmas trees that smelt nice. There was more of that snow that I seen in the shop window too, but it wasn't cold. There was a white fence that we weren't allowed to touch or we wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day and behind the fence was birds. Some white with yellow noses and some red and brown like the one on the cornflake box. Then in the next bit we seen Bambi. I didn't know who Bambi was but she had lovely big eyes,tiny white spots on her back an fluffy thing on her bum.
Then this girl with big bright red cheeks and black black hairy took us by the hand and pulling back the curtain led us into see Santa. He was sitting on a big red throne and was sweaty and shiny with the big bright light shinning down on him. I was lifted up onto his knee and we all gathered around him to have our picture taken with a flash thing. Then he gave us all a box each and made us promise to be good.
As soon as we went out the curtain behind him I ripped at the paper on my box to see red fire engine with wheels that really turned. He must have been the real Santa I told my Mam as we climbed back down all them stairs because he smelt really really old and hadn't had time for a bath because he was making so many toys.
Good job you didn't tell Santa that she said or you wouldn't be getting anything on Christmas Day.
By Gerry Temple
I can still remember my stomach feeling like a wee bird was trapped inside it and kept banging against the sides as it tried to escape. We had been good for so so long and promised to be good forever to make sure we got to see him today.
As the big bus shook to a stop in the Guildhall Square I remember the bells chiming way up in the bell tower to announce our arrival. Well that's what my Mam said so it must be right. We all climbed out and the nice conductor lifted me out onto the street as the pram was carried by my big sisters and Mam had here arms filled with my wee brother. He may have been younger than me but my Mam said he was solid. I think that means fat but I'm not allowed to say that or I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day.
We climbed Shipquay Street and boy do I mean climb. The man that built a street on a big hill like that must have been one strong man, or very stupid but I'm not allowed to say stupid, or I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day.
At the very top of the hill I could see the statues of men fighting. They were green and angry men, with guns and knives and I remember the sailor man was in his bare feet. He must have been while cold and maybe that's why he looked so angry. The rings of tiny red flowers where still at the bottom of the statues so maybe the sailor and soldier man are buried there. I don't know we never talked about them in our house because it made my Granny cry and I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day if I made my Granny cry.
We were right at the top of the hill before we seen the big big shop with the green roof, green like the soldier and sailor men, it's windows all full of snow even through it was raining outside. The man in the uniform opened the big double doors and in we went to join the cue, the cue that wound up and up and up all those broad wooden stairs. I stayed in at the wall because I knew them stairs were going to fall down with so many people on them and they were bending every time a big fat woman bounced down them, but I couldn't say that or I wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day.
After days of waiting and climbing step by step we came to the very very top of that big shop and way up there there were no windows to look out. They had trees growing inside the shop, Christmas trees that smelt nice. There was more of that snow that I seen in the shop window too, but it wasn't cold. There was a white fence that we weren't allowed to touch or we wouldn't get anything on Christmas Day and behind the fence was birds. Some white with yellow noses and some red and brown like the one on the cornflake box. Then in the next bit we seen Bambi. I didn't know who Bambi was but she had lovely big eyes,tiny white spots on her back an fluffy thing on her bum.
Then this girl with big bright red cheeks and black black hairy took us by the hand and pulling back the curtain led us into see Santa. He was sitting on a big red throne and was sweaty and shiny with the big bright light shinning down on him. I was lifted up onto his knee and we all gathered around him to have our picture taken with a flash thing. Then he gave us all a box each and made us promise to be good.
As soon as we went out the curtain behind him I ripped at the paper on my box to see red fire engine with wheels that really turned. He must have been the real Santa I told my Mam as we climbed back down all them stairs because he smelt really really old and hadn't had time for a bath because he was making so many toys.
Good job you didn't tell Santa that she said or you wouldn't be getting anything on Christmas Day.
By Gerry Temple