It's *that* time of year when you find yourself uttering ridiculous sentences like ‘If you don’t pack it in, we’re cancelling Christmas’. (That’s not just me, surely?!)
But when I heard myself burbling this nonsense today during a particularly fraught family car trip, I started wondering whether anyone actually follows through on these kind of threats.
I don’t mean actually cancelling Christmas, but the whole lump of coal in your stocking if you’ve been less than beautifully behaved. I was under the impression that, um, Santa wouldn’t ever actually stoop to that, if you get my drift.
But having discussed it with some friends, I was staggered to learn that their kids have indeed had a lump of coal in their stockings on Christmas morning. Not only coal, I hasten to add, more a token gesture to drive the point home that Santa means business.
I find that heart-breaking but then I’m a total sucker for all things Christmas. I go completely overboard every single year and then invariably spend Christmas Eve worrying that my kids are being ruined by my Christmas excesses. Yeah, I’m a bit of an overthinker.
So how does it work in your house? Does Santa ever actually deliver the dreaded lump of coal or are you firmly of the belief that he’d never be that cruel? And as a child, did you ever wake up to find something in your stocking on Christmas morning to signify that you should consider upping your behaviour in time for next year?
We’d love to know. Leave us a comment here or come and join the conversation over on our Facebook page.
Comments