A Swiss Christmas

Please allow me the indulgence of posting an entry I wrote several years ago.  The vignette below is so special to me, and I hope you will find it to be so as well. 

It was Christmas week, and we were in Switzerland.  My family and I, along with our good friends, Ed and Michele Elliott, and a frozen turkey, traveled there for the holidays.  As we were living in London at the time, we crossed the English Channel on a car ferry and were soon on the way to the Swiss countryside.

Our three sons were not so sure about the plan.  “Were they getting as many gifts?  What kind of Christmas dinner would we have?  What about a tree?”   I was having many of the same thoughts but kept them to myself. 

As we drove higher into the mountains to reach the chalet lent by a friend, small delicate snowflakes danced around our two cars.  Shadows deepened, and lights began to glow in houses nestled here and there in the valleys below.  Magical.  A very good sign.  With darkness settling around the mountains, we arrived at our chalet.  Maybe this adventure would be fine.  These words became my mantra.

The next morning, we four parents and five sons explored the tiny village.  And there, propped in front of a miniature store, was our Christmas tree!  It was short, a little crooked, a bit spare of needles and one of the last ones left.  We thought it was beautiful.  The nine of us trudged along with our treasured tree and promptly set about decorating it.  We popped popcorn and made white garlands with the help of needle and thread.  We did the same with cranberries and wound scarlet sashes round the boughs.

 The boys found pine cones of different sizes and shapes in a sheltered stand of pines near our chalet.  These they tucked between branches of our now festive offering to Christmas, and an aroma of pine drifted through the room.  James, the youngest boy, fashioned a star out of paper and placed it on top of the tree. 

That evening, Christmas Eve, the nine of us again walked to the village.  Our feet made satisfying crunching sounds through the crusty snow.  The village church was our destination. Candles shone in all the windows, casting shimmering shadows on the icy whiteness.  It seemed the whole town was attending the midnight service.  We were greeted with smiles and greetings of “Willkommen.”  We were welcomed by everyone. 

 Christmas carols, all in German, but so familiar to us in every other way, filled the small church with happiness and joy.  The pastor’s message, all in German, made us feel the meaning of Christmas, as if we understood every word.

Next morning, as the boys opened their allotted two gifts apiece, no one complained.  Michele and I baked our now thawed turkey and completed all the usual trimmings, minus a pumpkin pie.  No one complained.  When it was time for all to help clean up from our meal, no one complained.  Again, magical.

As I reflect on that Swiss Christmas of more than a decade ago, what made it so extraordinary?  Was it Switzerland itself?  Was it being with family and wonderful friends?  Was it fulfilled expectations?

Yes, of course, it was all of that.  And, yet, it was more.  It was that intangible thing called hope.  It was recognition that we are more than ourselves alone.  It was the knowledge that we need one another and are here to help each other and to be selfless when called upon to be so.  It was the magic of Christmas that happened to be in a country called Switzerland.

Interview with Michele Elliott, Founder of British Charity, Kidscape

It is my distinct pleasure and honor to interview Michele Eliott, OBE, founder of the British charity, Kidscape.  It is also my pleasure to call Michele a dear friend of over twenty years, and I welcome her warmly to my blog.

NS: Please tell us how and when Kidscape came into being?   

ME:  Kidscape came into being around our kitchen table when I found out from working with children and their families that nothing was being done about sexual abuse and other issues like bullying.  This was back in 1984, and in the UK there was denial about both issues.  I went to the National Society for Protection of Children and the police and the Home Office, but they all said that these things were not happening or that they were rare or that they were happening in other places, like the USA.  That is because I am American but living in London, so they heard my accent and concluded that this was an imported problem.  So that night around the kitchen table, I founded Kidscape.  Kid for children and scape for escape or landscape- kids looking over things.

NS:  What are the main goals of the charity?

ME:  Our major goals are preventing children being harmed and giving them practical ways to keep safe.  We say: preventing bullying protecting children.

NS:  How far reaching globally is Kidscape?

ME: Kidscape has been adopted in Portugal, Spain, Greece and our books are in 16 languages, including recently into Spanish in Chile.

NS:   I know you are a prolific author.  Please tell us about your books as they relate to Kidscape.                                                                

     

      ME:  Somehow I had published 26 books over the past 25 years, ranging from children's color picture books about keeping safe, to books for older children and teens, parents, teachers, and other professionals.  I didn't plan for that to happen - it just grew 'like Topsy.'  I have also written a column for Family Circle magazine in the UK, which taught me a lot about how to write using stories in an accessible style - that took me quite a while and the editor was extremely patient.

                                                                                                "preventing bullying
                                                                   protecting children"

  NS:  What do you see for the future of Kidscape?

       ME:  I am retiring from Kidscape but staying on as an author and consultant.  I did not want Kidscape to be Michele Elliott but to be about children.  We now have a fabulous team headed by Claude Knights, who has been with Kidscape for 10 years.  She and the staff are carrying Kidscape into schools, holding free courses for severely bullied children and young people and sending the messages worldwide.  I am very proud of them all - some have been with Kidscape for nearly 20 years - the staff is very loyal and committed to helping children.

     NS:  Your were recently awarded a great honor by the Queen of England.  Please tell us about it and what it means to you personally.

      ME: When I received the letter from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, saying he was 'minded' to suggest to the Queen that I be given an honor', I thought it was a practical joke!  But it was real, and the letter asked if I was willing to accept.  WILLING????  Thrilled, delighted, excited would be more like it.  Of course that kind of enthusiasm is from the American half of my personality (my mother had a British passport).  Anyway meeting the Queen was one of the highlights of my life - she was so gracious, and I was terrified that I would trip while approaching or genuflecting.  She put me and all the other recipients at ease with her friendly manner and questions.  Being in the palace and getting to wear a lovely hat were the other highlights.  By the way, the queen is quite tiny and she does carry a handbag.  xxx

      Many thanks, Michele, for your insightful-and fun-answers!  It's always such a pleasure to hear about Kidscape and its history.  You can be so proud of your accomplishments, and what you have modestly said here is only a tiny part of the story and of your achievements.

      For those who would like to know more about this important charity for children, the link is:

      http://www.kidscape.org.uk/