Diary of an Arundel Mother
Originally published Winter 2020
By Victoria Lugton, mother of twin boys and family photographer who lives and works in Arundel
WRITING this as we head into Lockdown 2.0 it seems impossible to think as far as Christmas and what it might look like this year. It’s November right now and I’m planning birthday celebrations for my boys which involve a low-key celebration just the four of us with a walk in the woods, not the party they’re used to but they will enjoy none the less.
Having had birthday celebrations, Easter and Halloween altered this year I think it goes without saying that whatever the rules are in December, Christmas won’t be exactly as we’re used to. Whether we will just be our little family sitting down at the table on the 25th or whether we’ll be able to see Grannies and Grandads, Aunts, Uncles and cousins there are ways we can feel festive and enjoy this time safely, sustainably and ethically without breaking the bank balance. As parents we know that the little people we live with will be relying on us to make it magical no matter what!
So here are some ideas and ways I’ll be creating the magic of Christmas in and around Arundel in these uncertain times, no matter what restrictions we’re living under.
Finding festive joy outside while on our walks.
One of my favourite things to discover when we first moved to Arundel was all the Christmas trees hanging from the shops and on so many people’s houses. This year I plan to make a proper walk out of Christmas tree spotting, starting along the Ford Road, into town via the Slipe and up to Maltravers Street along around King Street, Bond Street and up to the Cathedral then down the High Street and down Tarrant Street weaving in and out, counting the Christmas Trees as we go. How many can we find? What other pretty lights will we see along the way – Spencer Swaffer window is always a favourite! The kids will love it – as long as they’re wearing enough layers!
Shopping local. I’m always an advocate for shopping in our own town, finding presents and getting the Christmas dinner from our local shops wherever possible. We may well still be in ‘lockdown’ in the run up to Christmas but with so many of our own local stores offering delivery services there’s no excuse to turn to the big online retailers for everything. The butchers for the turkey, Pallant for treats, and gifts from The Tea & Biscuit Shop, Pots & Posies and Lavender House are some of our favourites.
Foraging for decorations. I love my pretty ornaments and Christmas lights, but I also love bringing the outside in each Christmas and looking to the gardens and woods for decorations. Evergreen plants were once seen as magical and form part of so many Christmas traditions. As well as the evergreen plants you can also use berries, pine cones and woody branches to embellish our homes. Holly, bay, ivy and fir trees are in abundance in and around the woods in Arundel and, while I don’t suggest you start chopping down trees, collecting pine cones and twigs is a lovely way to create sustainable Christmas magic.
Project Christmas movies. OK this isn’t strictly a local activity and it’s not particularly sustainable, but in September I was given an absolutely wonderful gift – a small projector and it’s turned movie watching into not just a way to pass the time but an actual event! We’ve set it up in our bedroom and the kids and I snuggle up to watch our favourite movie, something I can see us doing quite a lot of over Christmas particularly if everything remains closed unfortunately.
Carry on baking.
Baking has become a regular activity for so many of us during this crazy year! Something about the comfort of a traditional family activity that we can do at home with relatively little. We’ll be switching our cake baking to some more festive recipes like mince pies and Christmas cake and also our most favourite
– salt dough Christmas decorations! These don’t taste very nice but they can be made, painted and sealed and kept for years to come. This is way more interesting to my crafty boys then traditional cooking, and they look so lovely hanging from the Christmas tree. I have some that are a few years old now and to see their podgy toddler finger marks in the dough makes me smile when I put them up every year. They’re simple to make following this recipe and consists of just three ingredients:
Ingredients:
– 1 cup of table salt
– 4 cups of all-purpose flour
– 1.5 cups of water
What to do:
1. Measure out the flour and salt into a bowl
2. Add the water
3. Stir with a wooden spoon
4. Keep stirring until the dough is mostly together and is hard to stir any longer
5. Knead a few times with hands to bring the dough together
6. Divide into two sections and roll out to a thickness of 2cm
7. Cut out with cookie cutters including little holes at the top of each ornament for hanging
8. Bake for 2-3 hours until firm at 120 degrees
9. Remove from the oven, let cool and then paint 10. Seal with PVA glue once finished and dried
Finally, once you’ve made your keepsakes, foraged for your decorations and shopped locally, remember to check in on your neighbours, share some festive love or leave a treat on their doorstep.
It’s been a tough year for so many in and around Arundel but we’ve also seen our community come together for Thursday night claps, shopping for others and supporting each other. Let’s remember that this Christmas more than ever.
Unfortunately, I’m a bit more skeptical than that, so just in case we’re still facing restrictions, some children are not back at school and life isn’t as we once knew it – or even if it is – I thought I’d share my four favourite family walks to find some space and solitude no matter what’s going on in the world.