Mum & Dad’s Christmas Message for Andrew

Posted on December 24, 2009 with 2 Comments

From Mum:

Mum & Andrew

I will never forget one Christmas, Andrew was only about four or five. He was really into the whole thing about trying to catch Santa filling his stocking. What child wasn’t? Of course, as always, he missed Santa but woke up in the middle of the night to find that the Big Man had been, and couldn’t resist opening his stocking there and then. Now, the problem was that Dad and I, for some reason that shall remain nameless, had been up till the wee hours on Christmas Eve – I wonder why? – and had barely gone to sleep when, all of a sudden we were wakened by a police siren going off in the hallway! Three guesses what was happening!! Young Andrew had found a toy police car in his stocking and was racing it up and down in the hallway outside our bedrooms, having a whale of a time! Always brings a smile to my face, that one!

Another memory that warms my heart to this day was one Christmas Eve, Andrew would have been around four. We were playing games upstairs when the doorbell rang. Laura and Andrew ran down the stairs, opened the door and had the surprise of their lives to find none other than Santa Claus on the doorstep! Andrew’s eyes were out on stalks, as were Laura’s! The expression on this little boy’s face was priceless. Andrew tried to wrap his tiny arms around Santa. Santa was invited in and he sat himself very comfortably in the rocking chair and pulled out presents from his big sack. So Santa truly was real. And this was a very special Christmas for my little boy.

There was a stage when Andrew was about 12 that he became the family stand-up comedian! (Which, incidentally, has never stopped being the case!). He must have heard some character on TV punctuating everything with “Moo Cow”… or maybe he came up with it by himself, I don’t remember. But next thing we knew was that Andrew was responding to anything that he didn’t want to answer, didn’t know the answer to, or even DID know the answer to, with “Moo Cow” and a straight face! It would exasperate me yet somehow always crumpled me up in uncontrollable laughter! But it didn’t stop there… Andrew and cows became synonymous, so an easy gift or stocking stuffer for him was anything cow-related. He collected a lot of bovine memorabilia!

From Dad:

For many years, Andrew has been the “self-appointed” fire tenderer on Christmas day. It has been a tradition for many years that Andrew kept the big log fire going on Christmas morning as we sat around and opened presents. He keeps the fire in good form while disposing of the wrapping paper from all the rest of us. This might also include catching balled up paper (or dodging flying paper missiles). It’s always been a favourite of his Christmas activities.

He also will miss Eggs Benedict on Christmas morning, in particular the Hollandaise sauce, in which he would completely drown his English muffin if we let him. Last year he begged for extra sauce to be made at the last minute, I finally gave in and tried to increase the volume “on the fly” and the sauce turned out to be somewhat of a disaster (too much butter). I will remember that fondly while making the regular amount of sauce this year!

Sitting down to our traditional Eggs Benny on Christmas morning several years ago

Andrew will be greatly missed this Christmas because it’ll be the first one we’ll not have our fire attendant! I doubt very seriously that there will be any log fires going this Christmas in Newcastle… but what an awesome new Christmas experience Andrew will be having Down Under, and what lovely thoughts and memories we will have of him back here in Vancouver – he will be here in our hearts and in spirit, as all the Aussie cousins down there will be.

A very happy Christmas, Andrew! Love you heaps, from Mum & Dad. And from all of us, we hope you’ve enjoyed your little virtual stocking

All of us with Andrew earlier this month as he was leaving at the airport