Christmas memories

Its that festive season of joy once again. It like some one has waved a magic wand over the horizon. Despite everything, eyes light up, hearts warm up and faces shine with a smile. Considering the stressful times we live in, this in it self is no less than a miracle. Just the fact that people are so genuinely happy and want to spread the Christmas joy to everyone, despite all their personal woes is so uplifting. A few years back I come across my own share of such spread Christmas joy. Then, it made me happy, and thereafter, it makes one of my most warm Christmas memories.   

Back then, I was in Manchester, living a scrimpy student’s life…moneyless but happy. The festive season was on and my dearest hubby, then my boyfriend was in town. Love was in the air and nothing seemed more perfect than loitering around in the Christmas markets with a cuppa mulled wine. So that’s just what we did…loitered around that Xmas markets, then loitered around the high street, had a cuppa coffee and carrot cake and finally started to head home.

I was happy, on top of the world, floating in the Christmas joy and in the arms on my man…until I reached home, aka my student hall, just to realise that some where in my joyous floating around, I had dropped my hall swab, keys, along with my student ID and bus pass, which were all tucked together in the same valet. Now, most of us will know that in addition to all the inconvenience, replacing all these would also cost an arm and a leg!

Struck by disaster, I did the most vital I could think of then…I started crying, quite openly expressing concerns about my silliness and careless nature. My poor guy did his best to console me, but to no good.

‘You never know…some one might return it. Its Christmas after all’, he said.

‘That’s right…its Christmas. Everyone has their own stuff to do. Why bother returning a student ID, a set of keys and a swab that don’t mean anything to them…and a bus pass that they might as well be able to use!’, I replied in my frustration, losing all hope in the Christmas spirit.

Tired and unable to win me over, my guy did what he could do best…put me to bed. Snuggled in my cosy bed with a warm blanket enveloping me made everything a little better.

And because we are talking of the Christmas spirit, of course you know what happened next. I got all of my lost bits back…well at least most of them…the more valuable ones. I woke up the next day to find a voice mail on my phone from the university office saying that I needed to call them back. On doing so, I was given a mystery number of a lady from Stockport who had apparently found my valuables. Needless to say, I was delight.

A rather anxious bus ride later to Stockport, a kind lady met me in the town centre to return my kit. The hall swab was missing, but that’s what she found. I couldn’t thank her enough. It had not only saved me the inconvenience, but also about £300 in cash!

Parting ways, I said to her, ‘you didn’t have to do this, and yet you did. I cant thank you enough’.

‘Of course I had to,’ she replied. ‘I would have done it any time. And after all, its Christmas. Look at the smile on you face and the sign of relief that you show now. I will count it as my Christmas deed for the year. Isn’t that’s what Christmas is about’? She smiled, gave me a warm hug. ‘Merry Christmas’, she sang as she turned on her heels, marching away, soon disappearing into the Christmas crowd.

I turned towards home and smiled. Some may not think of this as the greatest act of kindness, but to me it meant a lot. It was a Christmas miracle indeed that some one found my valuables and then even took all the trouble to return them to me. Then on, I have never doubted the festive spirit, for if you believe in it, it will always be.