A Christmas Awakening
Folk of my generation and older will have you believe that all kids are interested in "these days" are video games and staring at their iPhones. This is generally to deflect from their own obsessions with these two spheres of entertainment. Out for a walk this absurdly warm Christmas morning, overdressed with my winter coat and scarf, pondering the economics of Netflix Christmas movies, I did in fact see several family groups aged 7 - 70 all of whom were engaged with their phones rather than each other.
But I also saw two young boys in a garden, I’m guessing brothers, also guessing aged about 8 and 10. The younger one was holding at arms length a short stick apparently broken off from a tree, or perhaps picked up off the ground after recent storms. One end of the stick had been sharpened and on this point a burnt sausage had been attached. The older brother had in his possession what looked like a new bow and arrow set, I assume a Christmas present. With this he was firing arrows to try to skewer the sausage (or maybe his brother). And to add to the danger, this analog pièce de théâtre was being performed in front of the family car.
They stopped when they saw me but I just wished them a happy Christmas and left them to it. Put on hold my plans for a thesis on Father Christmas Is Back starring Elizabeth Hurley, Talulah Riley and Kelsey Grammer. Hurried home to see if we had any sausages in the fridge. 🎄