Eastbourne people, have a think about the true magic of Christmas

I am 91 years old and in my long life span I can recall only two Christmases which showed me the true spirit of the magic of Christmas.

Little money was spent, we didn’t have it to waste.

On the first occasion I was homeless, had nothing to call my own. It was the Christmas of 1940. Everything we owned had been destroyed in the Coventry Blitz.

My father had been taken away as he was injured, my mother and brother and I just had to get on with life as best as we could.

However on Christmas Eve my father turned up at our temporary accommodation and that was truly a joyous time. As gifts we exchanged a tablet of soap and a toothbrush, but the gift which could not be surpassed was that we had survived, we were all together.

The second occasion was some years later on. I was alone and a friend had travelled some 3,000 miles to be with his parents.

On Boxing Day, unexpectedly, he turned up at my address, not laden with gifts, but for me his presence was enough.

This friendship still endures some 48 years later in spite of the vicissitudes we have both endured. We do not exchange expensive gifts, we are still alive, and it is this which truly matters.

So to the people who are over indulging in food, accumulating massive debts, shopping until some of them feel weary about the whole affair, I would suggest that a thought is given to the true meaning of the festival, and to those who are not happy through no fault of their own.

However we are rich in the knowledge of what Christmas truly means.