Words by Tegan Davies

Santa once proved his existence in front of my very eyes.

I donÔÇÖt know how he did it, but when my uncle told me to put my Christmas list on top of the coals of the unlit fire that year, the whole thing disappeared without me even noticing. I must have been about seven or eight ÔÇô still old enough to believe, but the sand timer was slowly diminishing. If there was any doubt in my little mind at the time, this exact moment dissolved every ounce of it. I was a smart kid with a quick eye, not ever missing a trick that presented itself visibly (regardless of how gullible I could be). 

It was one of the last Christmases which I remember to have been white, and so, despite the sun having set about half an hour prior, light pushed its way through the blinds and made even the slightest dust visible. On the eve of the day, hours before the big man set off to deliver whatever it was that I had asked for, my family were heading out for a carvery in a pub in the middle of the lanes, albeit if the roads were clear enough to do so. Panic had set in that Santa Claus must have had no idea what to deliver me, and he only had limited time left to do it. Scrambling down a list of Argos-catalogued goodies, I threw that thing under the chimney as desperately as I could, praying for something that wasnÔÇÖt a tangerine. Lo and behold, Santa took it right then and there (and my uncle did not move a muscle!)

Santa must have been very quick, or listened very hard to me that year, because I was just as loved and the tree was stocked that very next morning. Thanks, Uncle Santa.

Words by Emily Gardner

We all have moments from Christmases gone by that we will never forget. From traditions that we religiously abide by, to last minute plans to enjoy the festive season with friends, nobody can deny the joy the ÔÇÿmost wonderful time of the yearÔÇÖ brings. While I have memories like these that I will always look back on with fondness, the memory I want to share is perhaps my favourite memory of all ÔÇô and it comes from a Christmas that we thought would be the least joyous. 

Christmas 2020 was, quite frankly, expected to be a bit miserable. As we all know (even if not everyone followed it *cough* partygate *cough*), we were still keeping a distance between us and those we love. Sadly, this meant that my Grandma (who lived on her own) was sat on a table alone in our house eating her Christmas dinner. Now, this memory so far sounds a bit depressing, but I promise it gets better! After dinner, we had just sat down to open our presents, when my Mum and I revealed that we had copied a TikTok and turned a shower curtain into a way to hug my Grandma – something she had been waiting 10 months for. You may think it was a bit extreme to use a curtain and perhaps, looking back on it now, it was, but to hug my Grandma was the best gift we could give.