Remembering Christmases past
What I remember most about Christmases past is the fun we had as kids. The gifts, making things, caroling, the big Christmas meals; the most festive element was the flambé of the Christmas pudding after the meal. The excitement of lighting it, seeing the flame. The aromas.
Christine with her Christmas puddings . Pix courtesy Nirmalie Alahakoon
There’s always things to do at Christmas. Those days you couldn’t readily buy anything, so I used to make stuff. The baubles, I would get ping pong balls, colour them, add silver dust, and hang them on our clothes line to dry. The next day, I would put them in a box and take it to my father’s shop to sell. My father had a store in Pettah, Victoria Stores (later it was burned down in the riots). I used to make bon bons. Those were a ready sale. I always wanted to do something, make something during Christmas. I used to cut out decorations from rigifoam with my father’s soldering iron. I used to embroider. There has always been opportunity for me to make things for Christmas, and I would gift it to others or sell them. Throughout the years I’ve been able to supplement the home budget that way.
Back then, I remember the excitement of making the crib. In my father’s home, we, the children had to grow the paddy. So ahead of time we would plant the unhusked grains of rice in cigarette tins and by the time the crib is put up this goes around it like grass. My father used to do the crib. When I got married it was my husband who did it. Then it was my three sons, as children they gradually got involved, and they used to collectively make a beautiful crib every year. We watched them, they would be so secretive, planning, and it always turned out to be a beautiful, creative crib. Each year it was a different. One year they even had a space theme with a rocket. And I let them be creative. That’s very important.
What I dislike about the season, I don’t mean to be a spoil sport, but it’s the fireworks. They make me scared. Even the animals. I know its lovely to see them up in the sky, I enjoy that. But the noise. That’s the only thing I don’t like. Essentially, Christmas for me is celebrating Lord Jesus Christ coming to earth. God as man, bringing salvation to all. So Christmas is about sharing his love with all; It’s important to get together as family, as communities, even as a nation. One of the things I loved most about the season was the singing. I miss that. We would go to other houses and sing carols for people. They used to enjoy it and I loved singing. This year we, the Gomez family, went to an elders home and sang carols. We celebrated with them, there were gifts, we had so much fun. I love that, sharing Christmas with others. Sharing is a big, big part of Christmas.
On Christmas we would go for mass, and after that people gather at our home. Invariably there are friends for lunch. Those days we used to gather in this house, we were a large family, and we’d have a ball. It was always fun. My family has a sing song, we sing carols and then we open gifts. There’d be a big Christmas meal. And of course the pudding is brought out. Lights are dimmed. There’s excitement. The children – their eyes are popping out to see this lit. It’s lovely. It’s a beautiful experience. Lighting the fire, flambéing it, is an added dimension to the festivity.
The Christmas pudding and this flame is an important feature in the celebration and festivities of the season, as a child and even now. I wanted others to feel that excitement and that’s what propelled me to do what I’m doing now. Now I make and sell my Christmas pudding – Christine’s. It’s a family recipe. Two years back I decided to introduce a flambé kit. Recently I’ve gone into the twin pack, which is enough for two. You just need to microwave it, and have it with ice cream. I used to make the brandy butter also. But then people were constantly asking for it and I just couldn’t cope with the demand. So I did the next best thing. I put the recipe in the box. Now everyone can have their brandy butter and no one harasses me. When I put my flambe kit out many people told me they had so much fun. Even those in the offices. They go out, get some brandy, have a sip and light it up. It brings everyone together. When the air gets a little nippy I know it’s time to start making my puddings.
I have to plan out because I make large quantities, so I start in November. I start steaming it. I do large quantities on a open fire so good weather is important.
When I start making it, steaming it, everyone gets the aroma down the lane. My sister lives close by and she would say “Oh I got that lovely smell when stepping out and it’s so Christmassy.”
My son, he used to ride a little chappy, so when he goes this way after work, he’d call and say “Mama I know you’ve steamed pudding,” so he drops in, parks his bike, washes his hands and goes straight for the fridge for the vanilla ice cream to have with the hot hot pudding.
Even the other children if they pass this way, they go, “Mama did you take a pudding off the fire?” and they’d drop in. I have to have a constant stock of vanilla ice cream ready to go with it. That makes me happy, them enjoying the pudding.
I can’t imagine a Christmas where I’m not making my pudding. It would be such an empty experience for me. During the last few years this has been a large part of my life. Planning, prepping, making and sharing. It can be hectic but I manage it so that the puddings don’t control me. Now my husband has passed away, all my children have married and moved out. I have a little crib, I will bring out when all my puddings are cleared out. Then I decorate the house, right now, it’s only decorated with puddings. People don’t let me stop making the puddings and now they’ve become an integral part of someone’s Christmas.
(NA)