Christmas future is far away
Christmas past is past
Christmas present is here today
Bringing joy that will last
No matter how many times I do it, I don’t think I’ll ever fully get used to Christmas ship-side. There’s part of me that always cringes at it, because it really is so superficial, and yet…and yet…
It’s still Christmas.
As is tradition onboard, the ship pretty much suspended operations at ten o’clock this morning so that everyone could take up residence in the show lounge where there was hot chocolate and egg nog and the requisite slightly awkward Christmas carolling. The children from the kids program performed their carefully rehearsed and yet still somehow slightly falling apart version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and then the announcement bell rang out from the ceiling
Ladies and gentleman, we have detected an unknown object on our radar that appears to be making its way swiftly in our direction. At this time we do not anticipate any danger but we will keep you informed on the developments as they continue, thank you very much and enjoy your day.
Every year they do it, and every year the gasp and the giggle that goes up from the kids makes me sniffle a bit.
The rest of the day remained surprisingly quiet. Though the internet was slow as frozen molasses because every single person on board was trying to write home …understandable, but frustrating for those who kept getting kicked offline!
When evening rolled around the crew was invited to Christmas Dinner. Once a year they block off one entire side of the buffet restaurant (as in they actually close the big fire-screen doors) and give us a private Christmas party, the one night a year when no one cares if you’re late for shift because everyone who could yell at you is sitting around you. A thousand person strong ‘family’.
My real family is scattered to the four winds right now, on different ships, in different countries, some of them aren’t even anywhere near a working phone line – but none the less, it still managed to be a Merry Christmas…with just the slightest, ever so slightest, lingering taste of oranges.