109 – Christmas Crackers

Dear Lucy,

We had a good month in the run up to Christmas only marred slightly by the extreme weather conditions here in the U.K.

Torrential rain at the beginning of December worked its way through the village community hall roof so we had to relocate our Cub Scout meetings to the Chapel of Peace in Mouse Town.  It wasn’t too much of a stretch for me and Eric to pick up all the mouselings in the depot van but then the snow arrived and things got a bit more hazardous, especially when the wipers decided to freeze to the windscreen and I had to hang out the near-side window frantically swishing a yard broom across the screen so Eric could see where he was going. 

Despite the weather we decided to run a couple of extra afternoon cub scout session during the school holidays to give busy parents a chance to shop and wrap presents away from inquisitive little eyes and noses.  One of our sessions coincided with Millie and Lottie’s Christmas wreath making workshop with the residents from the retirement village, which as it happens turned out to be a really lovely afternoon, a special magic occurs when the older and younger generations end up spend quality time together that should never be underestimated.  Our Mouselings benefited from a wealth of life experiences and shared tall tales whilst the residents delighted in a good dose of joyful enthusiasm that can only come from the very young in the run up to Christmas.

Talking of special magic, early Christmas morning we all received a group ‘WhatsUp’ message from Gertrude and Millie telling us to get down to the Post Office Depot ASAP and not to put anything in the oven before leaving the house.  A giant Christmas Cracker had been delivered to the depot with a note from Santa simply reading ‘SEE YOU SOON!’  Perhaps the Polar Bear on the front should have given us a clue but as we all pulled and heaved we wondered what on earth was inside such an enormous present.  With every tug and twist a gust of icy wind puffed snow into the air and as the paper rustled the cracker expanded ever larger until eventually (after hitching a few ropes around either end) it ripped apart with an ear defending crack to reveal a magic tunnel, a pile of woolly jumpers and a sign leading to the North Pole.  An idling train awaited our arrival at the end of the tunnel, much like the underground trains one finds on a trip to London but with the added bonus of a drinks and canapé trolley.  

To cut a long story short our party train experience was only the start of a fun filled day at the North Pole.  After enjoying a lavish roast dinner we all got to play party games then later go out on a sleigh ride with Santa and his reindeer to see the northern lights.  It really was a fantastic day and the best bit was that on Boxing Day, not having cooked the day before, we got to enjoy Christmas dinner all over again back in our own homes.

Happy New Year Lucy, I raise a glass to your good health and happiness!

Love M.M.

Morris would like to wish all of his lovely followers and very happy new year, may your next twelve months be filled with love, joy and laughter! 

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