Christmas with a Crime Writer

I was interviewed earlier this month by Anneli Purchase for her blog Anneli’s Place, and I thought I would share the interview with all my Authors Electric friends. You can see the original interview here at Anneli’s Place.

The questions are all about Christmas, and here are my responses to her questions.

1. Do you celebrate Christmas?

Amy with her Santa sack -
You can see she's a reader!

I have Christmas dinner with my son and daughter-in-law at their house, but I have a post-Christmas dinner in January to which all the family are invited. There is always a Christmas story about Santa coming a cropper at Christmas time and having to leave a Santa sack with granny for the younger members of the family (there’s only 1 child eligible for it now). One year Santa tripped up and broke his ankle, another year he got lost, then there was the year he was arrested before he could make all his deliveries. And, of course, we can’t forget the year he got legless on mulled wine. The older members of the family bemoan the fact that once they reach the grand old age of eighteen they don’t get a Santa sack at granny’s post-Christmas dinner.

2. Have you ever spent Christmas alone?

No, but I did spend Christmas in hospital once after an operation. However, did you know that Santa has hospitals on his list? So, I got a Christmas stocking with some goodies in it.

3. Have you ever had a non-traditional Christmas dinner? What did you have?

Not really, they’ve all been the traditional turkey and trimmings.

4. What are your thoughts on gift giving?

I like to give my family what I think they will like, and I love to spoil the children. As far as getting gifts is concerned, it’s quite nice, but I don’t really need anything nowadays. I’m not so keen on all the commercialisation around Christmas though. I’d much rather it was all simpler.

5. What was the most fun activity you’ve done at Christmas?

I don’t really do activities, but my daughter-in-law loves games (the kind you don’t need to move out of your chair to play) so that’s always fun. My granddaughter, aged 11, has story cubes and she brings them along and challenges everyone to take part in story telling after throwing the cubes. Some weird and wonderful stories originate from these cubes. It’s great fun.

6. Do you have stockings either at Christmas, or on St. Nicholas Day?

Christmas day of course. Although now I’m on my own there’s no one to fill a stocking for me.

7. What was the best gift you ever received at Christmas?

I don’t think I could pinpoint any one gift, however two years ago my adult granddaughter gave me two tickets for Strictly Come Dancing, the live show, at Newcastle. She paid for the train fares and the hotel as well. I took my daughter-in-law with me. I did a blog on it at the time and you can find it here http://chrislongmuir.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/strictly-come-dancing-live.html

8. What was the worst gift you ever received at Christmas?

Probably a mulled wine set. It was lovely but I don’t drink and I don’t like the taste of wine. It’s still sitting at the back of one of my cupboards.

9. What do you do with gifts you hate?

I can’t say I particularly hate any of them apart from the one already mentioned and you know where that is. However, if I have anything I have no use for it usually winds up in a Charity Shop.

10. What was the best homemade gift you ever received?

Cherry cakes. My daughter used to make me a load of cherry cakes at Christmas. She doesn’t do it anymore and I miss them.

11. Have you ever given a homemade gift? Tell about it.

When I was a shopkeeper I used to crochet fashion garments for the family because at that time the most valuable gift I could give anyone was my time. So the garments were all crocheted with love.

12. What would you change about Christmas?

The only thing I would change would be to have my husband back to share it with me. But that’s impossible.

13. What would you keep the same if you could?

I wouldn’t change a thing.

14. What is your favourite Christmas music or song?

I’m not really a musical person, but I do like the Christmas Carols, and Bing Crosby (I’m showing my age here).

15. What do you like best about Christmas?

Being with the family. It’s the one time we all get together.

16. Any additional thoughts about Christmas.

Nothing I can think of.

The interview was fun so I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and as we are only a few days away from Christmas, I want to wish you all a Happy Christmas, and a very Merry New Year. And may all your dreams come true in 2014.

Chris Longmuir