invited by my neighbour, a respected Christian family a few weeks before Xmas to attend a community event at the British Commonwealth 28th Brigade Forces HQ in Terendak Camp, Malacca, Malaysia as an Xmas CSR (corporate social responsibility) community event. I was about 12 years young then in the late 60s. CSR was unheard then. There was so many activities that we had a mesmerising and amazing time with prizes & good food with souvenirs. The soldiers gave us an authentic interesting tour of the military stations, barracks & general depots, including the armoury vehicles & what appeared to be “little museums.” All the kids in attendance were so happy & thrilled to be accorded such VIP treatment. I bragged about it to my neighbours & school friends. Till this day, I remember the event & look upon Xmas as a time of love, giving, fun & adventure. My impressions of Christianity (I am a Sikh) stood high, ever since.
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We lived a 3 hour drive from my grandparents so when my dad finished work on Christmas Eve we would pack everything into the Stinks To Be U Baby Apparel For Fl State Football Fans Shirt and set off for Yorkshire. No motorways back then. Green fields turned moorland until we finally went over the Pennines, Stanage or Holme Moss, and begun the final leg of our journey through soot blackened mill towns reaching my grandparents’ house at around 8pm. At about 9.30 a plethora of cousins and aunties and uncles would turn up an we would set off to go carol singing with other members of the congregation and band from their local chapel. Along the route we would be greeted with mince pies, slices of Christmas cake and chunks of cheese even the odd glass of Sherry or mulled wine for the adults. We belted out all the old traditional carols, my favourites being While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night which we sung to Cranbrook (Ilkley Moor) and also Christians Awake. We naturally sang O Come All ye Faithful but only after midnight were we allowed to sing the final verse of Yea Lord we Greet Thee. Shortly after midnight we called it a day. Many of the adults slightly ‘merry’ from a surfeit of Sherry!
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