Carol disliked Christmas immensely. It wasn’t because of people teasing her about her name, it was because everyone seemed to get Christmas presents and she didn’t get anything. All the other kids at school got presents, like Judith who got a doll when she already had one, and Marlene got a kitten.
It wasn’t because they were Jewish or anything either. Nor were they Christians. Her parents didn’t give her anything for Christmas but they seemed to go from one office Christmas party to another, and they even had a party at home with all sorts of decorations and lights and a tree.
On Christmas morning, no one pretended to come down the chimney, even though Carol left a peanut brownie that she had pinched from the cookie jar in the kitchen. But it was still there in the morning, and her parents slept in until eleven o’clock. To fill in the time waiting for them to get out of bed, Carol watched television on her own. And when they got up they never even said “Merry Christmas”.
“That’s because your parents are very busy,” said Marlene’s mother, Mrs. Brocklehurst. Carol spent quite a bit of time at the Brocklehurst’s house. Carol was dropped off there by her mother whenever she was having guests for an afternoon tea or dinner or something.
Anyway, that was years ago. These days Carol’s parents are in a retirement home. Carol’s mother is bed-ridden and her father is in a wheelchair. Carol never visits them. It’s not that she’s mean or anything; it’s just that it never occurred to her.
Sadly, that could be a true story.
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It was modeled vaguely on an aunt!
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That’s too bad. I know it can be true, though. I’ve seen it.
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I guess she’s too busy.
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It’s very time-consuming organising office parties.
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I imagine it is. I wouldn’t have the ability for such demanding work.
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I would hate to have to have to organize an office party. I even hate going to them.
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You have managed to squeeze in tragedies of several life times within those few lines. Apart from the moral, it is not uncommon to find abandoned parents who have been been very loving during their younger days.
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Yes – that is so true! One would suspect that the Mayor of New York might be one of the abandoners.
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Brings to mind a song about a cat in a cradle with a sliver spoon or something.
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Little boy blue and the man in the moon….
I never knew what that song was about till now!
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You’ll figure it out soon.
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I just have!
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Nice!
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Too bad the Brocklehurst’s didn’t include her in THEIR Christmas festivities. Anyway, with a name like Noelle, I get a LOT of Christmas questions!
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Noelle is a lovely name, but thank goodness your parents didn’t call you “Yuletide Log”!
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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Oh the tragedy of a Carol without a Christmas…
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I knew someone born on Christmas Day named Merry.
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