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| Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5460 |
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| Author: | Secret Santa [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 12:22 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas |
It was the night of 23rd December and all the Maynards were arriving at Freudesheim ready for the holidays, Len, the eldest, was due to get married in April and her parents were well aware that this was likely to be the last Christmas which was ‘just’ them, especially as all their wards had other plans even Marie-Claire the youngest was spending Christmas with her birth family (while this would have been something Joey was once firmly opposed to however when the young girls had shown such a talent for dancing and her grandparents were willing to support her in her ambitions and had allowed Erica to go with her she had relaxed and both girls enjoyed time with their ‘grandparents’). All the triplets arrived together, Len had stayed at Con’s place in London after travelling up from the Carnbach branch of the Chalet School at the end of term and Margot had joined them from Edinburgh where she was practising medicine until she joined the Blue Sisters for good, she had delayed her vows until after her sister’s wedding. Steve, Charles and Mike all came together as they had all been accepted to Oxford, albeit different colleges and were close. Cecil sat sullenly as her siblings arrived, it wasn’t that she didn’t love them but she always felt overshadowed and left out. Everyone was prettier, more imaginative, more outgoing, or more talented than she was, or so it felt. After supper she and the younger twins were sent up to bed, while their elders, including the two F’s much to Cecil’s disgust they were only two years old than her after all, played games in the Saal. Cecil lay back on her pillow, her black curls fanning out around her as she gazed through the window. There she saw a shooting star and made her wish ‘I wish I was an only child’ never believing for one second that there was magic in shooting star wishes. The next morning she woke up and sniffed. It was Christmas Eve morning, that always meant bacon and eggs, cooked by Steve in the Speisesaal. A tradition started after he went to scout camp then unearthed his mothers Etna and wanted to give a present to Anna, who always made more of Christmas Eve than the Day celebrated by the Maynards themselves. She couldn’t smell anything and quickly got dressed and went downstairs, at the table were her parents, eating toast and with only 3 places set. ‘Where..... where are the others?’ ‘What others darling? Your father doesn’t have any colleagues staying with us over Christmas, you know that. Now eat your toast, Anna’s having a lie in and we have a busy day today.’ After breakfast Cecil left with Jack and Bruno to pick out the Christmas tree, while this wasn’t completely new to her usually Jack and the boys went while the girls baked with Joey and Anna, Cecil had joined them in the past when she had broken her wrist. Still she’d had fun before and it was nice spending some one on one time with her dad, she thought slipping her hand in Jack’s. When they reached the area where they were allowed to cut down fir trees he asked her which one she wanted, while Cecil pointed to one she was expecting to hear cries of ‘no’, ‘that’s not fat enough’, ‘that’s too tall’, or ‘but the one next to it’s a nice colour’. As they walked back to the house, pulling the tree behind them she felt slightly disappointed. It just wasn’t as fun by herself plus it should have been Mike’s turn to pick this time and she liked Mike he was her partner in crime much of the time in the holidays. On return to the house she was ushered into the kitchen with great haste. In the midst of baking the radio played in the background, replacing Margot who always led the girls in carols. The other thing Cecil noticed was there wasn’t the array she was used to, there was no gingerbread stars for one. When questioned Joey pointed out none of them liked it ‘that’s not true Fe...’ Cecil fell silent, Felix loved them and always made the rest eat at least one, under protest but she had to admit that she did actually like the stars, just didn’t want to admit that had only happened from the Christmas after she was 9 and miss the camaradie between them. The table wasn’t as overflowing as it should be ‘why, are we missing an extra dozen people?’ Anna asked when she pointed it out. Once the baking was done Cecil and her parents went into the Saal to decorate the tree, she always enjoyed this part. However it nearly ended in tears when Cecil was given the Angel to place on the top of the tree, that honour was always given to the youngest girl and it wasn’t her right, she sniffed looking aimlessly for Phillippa. The tree decorated Jo and Jack started to pack up the boxes ‘but what about the train?’ Cecil uttered in dismay. ‘The train?’ her father asked, Cecil fell into silence. Ever since she could remember Charles had set his train set around the base of the tree, expanded by the toy village which Geoff had decorated with sugar to look like snow (an excuse to help himself to spoonfuls a la Con in her early years) After that was done Cecil was taken to the Chalet School to give out presents to Miss Annersley, Miss Wilson and Rosalie Dene. As she bundled up into her coat and scarf she thought how unfair this was, she’d said Merry Christmas at the end of term normally those not at the school were roped into this part, all the boys and those too young for school – or since the triplets had left they also went. Felicity and Cecil tends to experiment with make-up without being found out. By supper time Cecil was exhausted the day had been packed full, with all the usual traditions forced upon her alone instead of being split between all the siblings. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, before announcing she was going to take a nap before they went to midnight mass. The look of horror on Cecil’s face when Joey told her she was too young was priceless. As she formed an argument she soon realised how pointless it was. Margot had started arguing for attending midnight mass since she turned 10, arguing double figures was old enough and then it had taken three years for Joey to agree that once the triplets were in their teens they were ‘adult’ enough. The tears dried on Cecil’s cheeks as she lay in bed, wishing her family back to how it was before. As her eyes closed in sleep a second star fell above her head. She awoke to Con shaking her gently and filled with smiles she ran to take her place outside Joey and Jack’s bedroom to wake them with carols. |
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| Author: | Lisa [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:52 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas |
Lovely, thank you Santa  It's so easy to grumble about whatever situation we're in,this is a lovely reminder that probably the grass wouldn't be as green on the other side of the fence! *Goes away with renewed enthusiasm not to grumble about the family* 
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| Author: | Alison H [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas |
Be careful what you wish for, as the saying goes! Thanks Santa .
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| Author: | Cat C [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:26 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas |
Interesting - always fun to wonder about how the younger Maynards would have developed, and seeing one vision of the traditions in the Maynard household. |
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| Author: | JS [ Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas |
Very funny, thank you. |
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| Author: | coddle [ Thu Dec 25, 2008 12:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cecil's Christmas Wish - for Coddle, Merry Xmas |
That was so lovely and so appropriate - I'm a one and only and would have loved to have had a big family  thanks Santa xx |
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