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‘That’s why we teachers live on tea. We need the caffeine.’ She smiled, her face glowing with happiness. ‘I love doing the workshop though. It’s become a real tradition. I love the lantern making, the parade. I love anything Christmassy, as you know.’ She looked at him intently. ‘I’m beginning to sus you don’t feel quite the same?’
‘Iusedto love Christmas,’ Jago said carefully. ‘Let’s just say I’m,’ he paused not wanting to expand on why he might find Christmas difficult this year, and settled on, ‘ambivalent now.’
‘Then we need to change that.’ Honor put an impulsive hand on his. It was rough from dried on PVA glue and crusted with paint but the warmth from the physical contact arrowed straight to his heart. ‘I challenge you to learn to love a Lullbury Bay Christmas.’ Her blue eyes sparkled.
He couldn’t help but stare into them. They were the most astonishing colour, like the most vivid hyacinth, so blue as to be almost purple. ‘I like your confidence.’
‘You won’t be able to help yourself. It’s like falling in love. Even the most curmudgeonly ends up in love with a Lullbury Bay Christmas.’
Or ends up in love he thought.
They gazed at each other, their hands still in contact before hastily snatching them away when Lexie returned with their tea.
CHAPTER16
‘O TANNENBAUM’ – GERMAN TRAD.
‘Are we all ready?’ Honor yelled over the sound system from which was blaring ‘Fairytale of New York’ – thankfully the edited version. She was standing at the top of Lullbury Bay High Street shivering. It was very cold tonight and, beyond the gold hot-pant Christmas lights, darkness stretched its tendrils out into the alleyways beyond. It was the perfect time for a lantern parade. The perfect time to bring light into the season.
‘Mums and dads, are we ready? Children, have you all got your lanterns switched on? Are you in the order I put you in?’ Behind them, at a safe distance, she could see the vehicles which would make up the carnival parade. Their headlights dazzled as she looked straight into them, so she squinted at her group. ‘Children, please stay with mummy and daddy, or whoever has come with you, and if anyone gets lost, come and find me at the Christmas tree. You’ll recognise it. It’s the big green thing decorated in white lights.’ She was rewarded with a few giggles from those at the front.
Kirstie McColl was replaced with Wizzard’s ‘I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday’. Their cue! She switched on the light inside her own star-shaped lantern and held it up. The children at the front held up theirs too and the action rippled back to those furthest away. In all, twenty-five had made it to the parade and pride made tears tickle in her throat. For a second, she allowed herself the indulgence of taking in the sight. Twenty-five little people, all dressed in woolly hats, scarves and warm coats, their mittened hands clutching the product of their hard work at the workshop.
Honor knew what would happen behind them. It was the same floats every year. That was part of the tradition. A slow procession of a variety of vehicles would inch their way down Lullbury Bay’s steep main street and then along the promenade. Lullbury Bay folk took great pride in their carnival, especially the Christmas version, and always went all out to disguise the lorries and trucks into something magically Christmas. Amongst many there would be the Comp-Solutions computer company’s flatbed lorry, covered in vast swathes of white felt and with three of its employees dressed up as fat snowmen spraying fake snow into the air. The Lullbury Bay community choir would be perched on the back of a truck, all dressed as Victorian carol singers and, of course, Father Christmas would make a welcome return, although he might be leaving his reindeer behind this time.
Surveying her little group of enthusiastic lantern holders, she gulped down the emotion, smiled at them, then turned on her heel, holding her lantern aloft, and led them slowly in the parade.
‘That looked fantastic!’ Jago gathered Merryn up and gave her a fierce hug. They were standing on the open space outside the yacht club on the seafront. The sight of the children parading had made his heart swell with pride. He had waited at the bottom of the high street before they had turned to walk along the prom all the way along to the harbour and had joined in to walk alongside Merryn and Avril.
‘Did you see Miss Martin? She had the best lantern. It was shaped like a star and it lit up the whole night. I pretended I was one of the three kings following it.’
Jago ruffled her hair. ‘I did. Look, here’s Mum.’
Avril had nipped back to the house to return Merryn’s lantern and to check Ivy hadn’t eaten Chestnut the hamster. So far, an uneasy peace reigned between them, but the puppy was far too interested in the little brown creature.
‘Oh, you’ve brought Ivy with you,’ he said in surprise. ‘Do you think she’ll cope?’
‘Thought it might be good socialisation for her, now the noisy floats have gone,’ Avril replied. ‘I can always take her home again if she looks nervous. One of the beauties of living right in town.’ She shivered. ‘I might need to go back anyway to get a warmer hat. My ears are freezing.’
‘Maybe hotdogs and churros will warm you up?’ Jago looked down at his little sister. ‘Fancy going to the German Market?’
‘Oh, Jags, churros are Mexican, idiot.’
‘Sorry. Forgot. You won’t want any then? Especially if they come with chocolate dipping sauce?’
Caught out, Merryn screwed up her face. ‘Well, I think they make a lot of chocolate in Germany so itmightbe all right.’
Jago laughed at her reasoning. ‘Come on then, let’s head to the square.’
‘And let’s hurry,’ Avril said. ‘It’s a high tide tonight, the waves look as if they might wash over the prom!’
As if to make Avril’s point, a huge wave hit the low wall which separated them from the beach and showered them with a fine sea spray. The family shrieked and giggled and skipped away. As they walked back along the promenade in the direction of the town and the cobbled square where the market had been set up, they discussed the carnival parade.
‘My favourite was the float with the people dressed up as Christmas puddings,’ Merryn proclaimed. ‘They were so funny and round!’
‘That reminds me.’ Jago felt in his pocket of his Barbour and held up a lolly, its wrapper designed to look like a Christmas pudding. ‘They were throwing them at the crowd as they went past.’ He handed it to her.
‘I’ll take that.’ Avril intercepted it. ‘You’ve already had too many sweet things. It’ll save for tomorrow.’ She slid it into her coat pocket.
