December has begun and so have the traditional Christmas activities.

 This morning I forced myself out of bed rather earlier than usual. The mother of one of Grandson Number Two’s little classmates was coming to collect me so that we could go to a special assembly at the primary school. The reception class was going to decorate the school Christmas tree and the minister from the local church was coming to bless the tree. Apparently the school does this every year on the first Monday in December. Who knew that such things went on?

Anyway, as both my daughter and her husband are working today, I was the designated family representative, so that our small boy did not feel neglected.

So the parent in question stopped by my house at about 8.30, we dropped her boys off to line up outside their respective classrooms, and then went to stand outside the front door of the school for a good half hour. Quite why we could not be allowed in to sit in the school hall remains a mystery but at least it wasn’t raining.

Eventually we were allowed in and went to sit at the back of the hall. Gradually the children trooped in, one year group at a time and sat down on the floor. As the space was taken up the air was gradually filled with the kind of twittering noise that a bush full of sparrows make in the early evening: all the children were chattering, albeit quietly. The headteacher quietly went through a 5-4-3-2-1 routine, with the noise level, never enormous, gradually reducing to silence. The children are obviously used to this.

After the headteacher’s little talk on the origin of Christmas trees, the children from the reception class went forward one by one to hang a bauble of their choice on the tree. One child brought a sparkly dinosaur - and why not? Incongruously, older children who were new to the school this year also went to hang a bauble on the tree. It’s amazing how very large some year 5 and 6 pupils (9 to 11 year olds) can be.

Then the minister from the local church, in her Christmas jumper, made a little speech (someone suggested later that she and the headteacher vie with each other to see who can speak for longest), blessed the tree, and said she hoped to see them all in church soon.

And that was that. The children filed out, some of them waving to parents and grandparents as they went. I declined a lift home and set off 

walking to Tesco, then on to the library in Uppermill and, there being no bus for about 29 minutes, all the way home. I got rained on from time to time but not seriously wet, and I met my step goal for the day!  And now the rain clouds appear to have moved on, as the weatherman predicted, and the day has got brighter. 

I took no photos of the tree decorating and blessing business, following a general warning my daughter posted on social media recently:- there could be a child in a vulnerable situation who accidentally ends up in your photo and then on your social media, thus inadvertently revealing the whereabouts of said vulnerable child to someone from whom they are hiding. 

What a sad world we live in!

Life goes on, stay safe and well, everyone!