Spending Christmas alone can be a difficult experience – whether that’s because have to work or because your family is just too far away.
For that reason, two men in London created their own special Christmas day, opening their door to strangers and even picking them up in a rental car.
Brian Hook and Al Barclay have been holding an amazing ‘orphans’ Christmas’ for the last four years and on Wednesday, they’ll welcome anyone who turns up once more for their fifth year of festivities.
Brian, 31, says he grew up in a house in Rochdale where the door was always open and they expected lots of people to pop in to raise a glass at Christmas.
He laughs: ‘I remember when I was young, our back door was barely locked and it was pretty normal to have friends and neighbours pop in for a brew.
‘My Ma, is the kind of person who, if it’s leathering it down, picks up strangers at bus stops and takes them where they’re headed, I’ll blame her.’
But six years ago, he found himself alone at Christmas and he says he made him reassess what the season meant to him.
‘I had a really, really rough time. I’d separated from my partner early in December, amicably but pretty instantly.
‘I found myself in a cold flat in Manchester with my thoughts, eating curry for three meals of the day, and it was so singularly lonely.
‘There were a thousand things I could have done, families I could have shared it with, but at the time I guessed Christmas is such a personal time. It’s a hard thing to impose yourself into someone’s Christmas time.’
Back then (and every year since) Brian was working on an immersive production of A Christmas Carol, which involved sitting down with an audience of 70 people every night.
He explains: ‘Our version was all done over a big sharing feast, and what makes that really special is sitting 70 strangers down and breaking bread together – it started something.
‘As cheesy as it sounds, there’s a good many beautiful lines in that show, but one that stuck out to me and became the mantra that became the force behind this way of spending Christmas was the words “find what Christmas means to you, and make it your soul intent to show it”.
‘I thought a whole bunch about that sentiment – Christmas to me is about kindness, about magic and excitement and merriment, it’s about peace and sharing food and making a warm and safe space. My version of that is to welcome folks and share what we have.’
The following year, Brian was sharing a flat with an actor called Al Barclay and as house mates, they decided to have an open Christmas.
They no longer live together but still have their ‘waife and stray Christmasses’ together every year.
Now on their fifth run, they know how to prepare and plan for the day.
Around mid-November, they put out a shout out on Facebook letting people know it’s coming round again.
Some people from previous years ask to join well in advance, by Brian says there’s always a few newbies.
He adds: ‘Word creeps out, and unexpected folks ping us both a message to let us know about a friend who is up for joining.
‘One year I had forgotten that a guest had mentioned one Christmas Day that the were back in the UK for the next year from New Zealand and might swing by, they called me the next Christmas Eve stood on our doorstep straight off the plane, and though I had entirely forgotten, they were most welcome.
‘It was at once the most and least notice we have ever had for a guest.’
On Christmas Eve, they hire a Zipcar and pick up all the food they need before driving to Al’s flat.
They start cooking around 5am and open their door about 11am.
Al even takes the rental car out to pick up people from across London as there’s no public transport on Christmas day.
Brian adds: ‘Then it’s just it’s own beautiful chaos thereafter.
‘People often bring their own dishes to add to the madness as there’s an unwritten rule that you could bring something that means Christmas to you.
‘Sometimes that’s shrimp and a BBQ (always the Aussies) sometimes it’s a trifle with an aggressive ABV (thanks Sarah) and once it was a set of Portuguese poems from two brothers who joined us, who had limited English and strong dance moves and remained the life and soul of the party well after I had fallen asleep in a heap.’
Over the years, Brian and Al say they have had some amazing days celebrating with all sorts of people – and they’re hoping for more of the same this year.
Brian says: ‘We just want a copy-paste of all the previous years’ unexpected brilliance.
‘It’s kind of a continuous lovely chain of heartwarming and mad events.
‘I remember walking into my packed front room and you could hear a pin drop whilst some folks read old folk stories from a book I didn’t even know was on the shelves.
‘The folks that join do so for many brilliant reasons, and some because they are either vulnerable or it’s a difficult time of year for them, and there’s the odd tear, but that’s also kind of why we do it, and it is resoundingly met with kindness and care.
‘No big drama’s, no arguments or heated debates, it’s a hell of a tonic in these bitterly divided times.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/23/friends-open-door-strangers-christmas-day-even-hire-car-pick-11928475/
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