大象传媒

Maltese Childhood 鈥� Christmas (1946/47)- Hal-Far

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by volunteer Anita Howard from Essex Action desk CSV on behalf of herself as Anita M. Sackett and has been added to the site with her permission. She fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions鈥�.

Christmas 1946 was our first Christmas in Malta. My mother was determined to have a tree but there were none available on the island. So she bought a broom handle and attached some small palm fronds with red ribbons. In a small shop in Birzebuggia (?) she found a box of decorations made from gold and silver bugles and beads. I remember a star, lantern, aeroplane, butterfly, sun, diamond and a basket of mushrooms! I still have the diamond and aeroplane.
The living room was festooned with home made crepe paper chains and folding scarlet bells.
We had a wonderful party inviting some AMDW friends and their children. What a time we had. playing 鈥淢usical Chairs, Pass the Parcel and Turn the Trencher鈥�. We also played the usual board games and simple card games.
The following year we repeated the event but when we returned to England we never had another party at home.
Grandma Sackett sent us some books from England for Christmas, I had 鈥淟ollipop Wood鈥� by John Paddy Carstairs and 鈥淥ur Friends next Door鈥� and my sister had a Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Book. Other gifts I remember were real aluminium toy pots and pans, a tea set with tea pot, a pastry board and a toy cooking stove which had methylated spirit burners and some little sweet shops.
I remember being so excited that I could not get to sleep. In 1947 I asked my mother if there really was a Father Christmas. She told me the truth but I was sworn to secrecy not to tell my sister.

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