![\"\"](\"http:\/\/miriamrogers.co.uk.1047soon2b.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/santa-sleigh.jpg\" "\\"Santa's")
<\/a><\/p>\nDo reindeer eat carrots?<\/h2>\n
Christmas 1995<\/p>\n
I especially loved Christmas this year. My mother, brother and his young son stayed with us.
\nMy son was six years old. My brother\u2019s boy, James was eight and was wavering in his belief in the man in red.
\nWe had such a lovely and exciting Christmas eve talking about Father Christmas, when would he come, what would he bring, would he know that James was in a different place to last year.
\nJames was worried about our fire place \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t light the fire Aunty Miriam because he would get burnt!\u201d
\nThis year I had found some little packets of reindeer food at one of the garden centre\u2019s I thought it would help set the scene.
\nBefore bedtime the boys had been outside on the drive to sprinkle the treat for Santa\u2019s reindeer and they had also left out a huge carrot for them.
\n\u201cDo reindeers eat carrots aunty Miriam?\u201d wondered James?
\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m not really sure, but we will leave it just in case James\u201d was the best I could offer.
\n\u201cI think they do\u201d said Ben enthusiastically! (Anything to make sure he came!)
\nThe boys hung their stockings and left a mince pie and a glass of milk by the fire for Father Christmas, with nothing more to do the boys had to go to bed!
\nAs every child knows \u201cHe won\u2019t come while you are awake\u201d
\nThe usual Christmas Eve followed; restless excited chatty boys sharing a bedroom, laughing and keeping each other awake.
\nExcited adults, whispering, laughing, drinking, keeping each other awake as we made the room ready for Christmas morning.
\nThere was the usual getting up & down to the boys or calling out
\n\u201cNo he hasn\u2019t been yet\u201d and \u201cHe won\u2019t come while you are awake\u201d
\nNo presents go under the tree in our house until Ben has gone to bed!
\n(Even now I don\u2019t put his gifts under the tree until Christmas morning when he is still asleep!)
\nLots of creeping around followed, bringing the gifts carefully stashed away all over the house into the sitting room to be arranged under the tree. Some presents we leave in the fire grate; a little soot and ash is sprinkled on ones near by. Streamers are everywhere! A paper cover goes onto the sitting room door with the number 25 on it. (Now one of Ben\u2019s favourite memories)
\nSome time in the early hours we got to our beds and just a few hours later boys shouting with joy wake us!
\n\u201cHe\u2019s been, he\u2019s been\u201d when the stockings are found.<\/p>\n
Later that morning Nanny was looking out of Ben\u2019s bedroom window
\n\u201cThere is something on the drive boys, come and see, whatever is it?\u201d
\nTwo little boys ran outside to look.
\nJames and Ben returned, with eyes as big as saucers, holding two pieces of carrot with strange teeth marks in, a little piece of mince pie and the certain knowledge that reindeer do indeed eat carrots!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Week 3 Sian from High in the Sky has invited us to share a Christmas story in the few weeks before Christmas, here is mine for this week. Do reindeer eat carrots? Christmas 1995 I especially loved Christmas this year. … Continue reading