Christmas Day Mark Two

Sunday, March 28 10

Friends might consider she had lost the plot, but Mrs. Bennet was 40 now so she didn't care. She had purple and red streaked hair. And yes she was conscious her body parts weren’t as they once were. But as a friend had kindly built her a wardrobe; a commodity she hadn’t had for 10 years, she was now able to hang her clothes up instead of shoving them under the bed. So it meant for the first time since she had seen the first blue line which had started the baby production years, she had weeded her wardrobe. So ruthless was she, there weren’t too many garments left to hang. But she decided from now on she would wear only what she liked, regardless of fashion and sense. And to her and Mr. Bennet’s amazement this now included the occasional dress.
Turning 40 had turned something inside. Mrs. Bennet would create memories. She would laugh more, try and relax more and not worry about what tomorrow brought. As it was today was Christmas Day in the Bennet household. It was also the birthdays of Mrs. Bennet’s dad and Miss Megan Bennet. Without her dad or her mother-in-law around the Christmas Dinner table back in December, the day hadn’t seemed complete. Both her own mum, Jannie and her father-in-law Ed, hadn’t spent a Christmas without their respective spouses for 50 years. So Mrs. Bennet felt it was only right they should celebrate the occasion again once the couples were reunited and hospital visits were a past and distant memory. Only life didn’t work out like that.
By Saturday, both birthday boy and girl had, between them, visited hospital five times. Megan had been accidentally dropped in the school playground, banged her head and subsequently suffered from concussion. Mrs. Bennet had arrived at the scene a few minutes after the incident to find her daughter ghostly white and throwing up in a brown tub, labelled “sick bowl,” and literally carried her 200 yards to the local hospital. The poorly child was then transferred to Cheltenham General before being let out for showing her precious cheek dimples sufficiently to be declared fit and well, much to the dismay of the patient concerned who quite relished the fact she had both Mummy and Daddy to herself.
Meanwhile her grandfather had managed to break his wrist whilst climbing on a table to put up some balloons for Megan’s birthday party. His knee gave way and down he fell. Three hospital visits later he was finally sitting at the Christmas table; arm in plaster looking rather vulnerable and shaken. Mrs. Bennet was convinced he was allergic to her cooking, but despite needing some assistance, he quite happily chomped his way through the festive delights - although he did manage to unconsciously clobber a couple of relatives with his cast.
Next Sunday it would be Easter, so it was only right Christmas should be celebrated before rather than after. The tree came out, the crackers got pulled, the silly jokes got told, a few trivial gifts opened and the Christmas pudding got set alight. They did not sing carols. The Bennet family might be considered a little eccentric at times. But creating memories was precious, and it would be an event the little Miss Bennets would remember for days and years to come. And at least this year they wouldn’t have to wait too long for the next one…only 233 days!

Mrs Bennet's cunning plan.....

Monday, December 1 08

Although Mrs Bennet loved the essence of Christmas, its message of joy and hope and the infectious excitement generated by her daughters, she did not enjoy writing Christmas cards. Mr Bennet shared her sentiments so didn't do any. Last year he even had the lame excuse of a broken arm. Mrs Bennet valued her arm too much to follow his example. Instead she put on her creative thinking cap. Watching her eldest daughters concentrate on their latest masterpieces - one was designing a made-up cartoon family she'd entitled The Wiggleworms; the other was mixing colour and shape in Picasso fashion - Mrs Bennet issued them a challenge:
"Girls, if you each write 25 Christmas cards each, I'll take you out to breakfast!"
Miss Bennets Numbers One and Two promptly put down their tools and instantly turned into festive writing mode. After one card, Miss Naomi Bennet returned to her Wiggleworms. Kathleen Wiggleworm's outfit wasn't quite right and she wanted to perfect it. Miss Emily Bennet however had a bacon roll firmly etched on her mind and wrote mechanically for 30 minutes.
"Mummy, what about me?" asked a voice from behind Pepper Pig's rocket, "I can't write like they can yet, but can I come out with you as well, otherwise that's not fair is it?"
"I'll tell you what, if Naomi does her share, I'll take you out as well. A bit like take two, take one free!" Mrs Bennet informed her third daughter, who didn't quite understand the concept.
Only one child earned the breakfast the next morning. After a disturbed night due to coughing twins, Mrs Bennet was woken up by her alarm clock - a gentle tapping on her arm. An eager fully-dressed second daughter peered over her, determined not to miss out on her wages. Half asleep, Mrs Bennet fulfilled her side of the bargain. Miss Bennet Number Two got her hot bacon butty. But Mrs Bennet did not get her Mr Latte. He obviously didn't approve of her bribery tactics and was on strike. Instead it was a Peely Wally start to the day - a mug of hot water and a longing to return home to the duvet.