Just received a container (bottle?) of pineapple jam tarts and another container of cheese fingers – both absolutely homemade – for sure. These are no ordinary pineapple jam tarts. These are top-of-the-line, best-est pineapple jam tarts around town (here I mean Subang Jaya, Pee Jay (also known as Petaling Jaya or P.J.) (1) and Kay El (Kuala Lumpur or K.L.) (2). The cheese fingers are great, too.

It all started when I got a text message from my cousin, Rachel Jacques, “Merry Christmas Alan and Jeannie. I want to send you some pineapple jam tarts. Was thinking of you when I was making them”. My reaction was “Wow!”.

Thinking of me when she was making them. What a way to start Christmas morning, receiving this wonderful message.

Jeannie and I took a short drive to Mid-Valley Shopping Mall (3) for brunch and to pick up a couple of things. “Short drive” means the distance is the same as always but the drive was a breeze with hardly any traffic on the Federal Highway.

We were in Klang (4) a couple of hours or so later, to celebrate and bask in the joy of Christmas with the Atkinson family, a tradition of sorts for as long as I can remember.

Must do, have to do or want to do. We want to do. For us, the family gathering together on this joyous occasion is one of the best gifts we can give and get from one another.

Being in the presence of one another, sending family waves to each other, says it all. In this day and age, it is becoming more challenging for us to meet one another. Almost everybody face- screens each other. Terror one, two and three. Don’t play play. (Actually can). (5)

Jeannie and I were the earliest to arrive at dad’s and mum’s house, so we were able to have some 2-on-2 (Jeannie & I, and Mum & Dad 😁) time with mum and dad. I was about to say, “We gotta spend time with Mum & Dad” – the American way. However, “gotta” in this context means we have to make the extra effort.

They were watching a musical show on tv. Mum was in her element, singing along with many of the carols. She sang soprano and could hold her notes and timing pretty well. Dad was as usual, in choir conducting mode – “conducting the choir”.

The rest of the family, including my neice, Ashley (Terence’s & Mabel’s daughter), who was on holiday from Europe; arrived shortly after.

Jeannie got a chicken sort of dish prepared though the high tea was catered. Uma made a wicked (awesomely awesome) Shepherd’s pie, Mexican style, complete with cachos.

The food was great the evening was great, most of all – the whole family coming together was great.

Jeannie and I headed to the Archibalds for dinner. We arrived a few minutes ahead of 7.30pm. Most of their guests were already there, meaning the phrase “typical Malaysia time” was waning. Punctuality here meant being earlier than the stipulated time.😁

Patrick’s and Hazel’s guest list was a bit unusual, a first; at least to me. There were about 20 guests.

The “main star” of each family that was  there, was a person that was a godchild of theirs. Jeannie and I were a bit modified. Patrick and Hazel were witnesses to our daughter, Laura’s marriage. Can I say this was a “themed” dinner?

I found out that some of them were from Klang in their schooling days – all of whom were great fans of mum’s (my mother, better known as Mrs. Atkinson) butter cake. They grew up with mum’s butter cakes at birthdays and other celebrations.

The mix & match (if there was such a thing for food at dinner) of dishes (not just empty dishes but with food on them😉😀) at dinner was pretty good. If I had to choose one that was my very favourite for the evening; it would have had to be the cutlets.

Christmas Day came and went. Like that lah! (Malaysian expression).

At the Atkinsons on Boxing Day

“Boxing Day”, the day after Christmas; was one of the most important dates in the Christmas season in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Besides boxing each other (which we were made to believe, yet had no idea why. No google and ChatGBT back then.), it was “Open House” at the Atkinsons of Klang.

The morning usually began early (it should… after all it is the “morning”), with family members from the Atkinsons and Gomes clans – uncles, aunties, cousins and lots more being the first to visit. Our neighbours and friends made up the rest. The boys of La Salle Klang and the girls from HIJ Convent Klang made up the next big number of visitors. We also had many visitors from other states in Malaysia, as well as visitors from abroad that added blessings to our family.

Open House at Jalan Ladang (where we used to stay), quite often lasted non-stop for 2 to 3 days. Food flowed. Drinks flowed. Throughout the time – always. Music played 24 hours, non-stop, almost. The time when the music stopped was because it had reached the end of a vinyl record, or open-reel tap-deck, or cassette tapes. Turn it over to the flip side, and continue with the music.

The house was a big house with a lot of land, including a badminton court. It was amazing how we accommodated so many people with so many people over the two to three day hive of activity. But we did. The La Salle guys from my late brother Nigel’s, Terence’s, Malcolm’s and my batch; my late sister, Jennifer’s classmates and schoolmates of HIJ Convent, our cousins – they all reminisce about the great times they always had with us during our Christmas Open House and other times, too. We lived near La Salle School, which meant our home was a natural stopover for the boys. We always had fun – kaw kaw (6) maximum.

Fast forward to today – we may have never appreciated the time we had as much as we appreciate them now. I wonder if appreciation is quantifiable – if we add the energy of our appreciation now to the time we were living in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Today’s world is commandeered by the screen in front of us, be it the smartphone, tablet, computer big-screen. With the introduction of A.I. and ChatGBT, many people have willingly surrendered their rights to think and make decisions – to technology. Make no mistake – at the apex of technology is still helmed by human. Can you imagine another “the Martians Are Coming” (7).

While technology and all the gizmos that come with it are exciting and mostly helpful when used appropriately, they are tools to help our everyday life, instead of our everyday life becoming enslaved to these devices. I love tech and all it has to offer, but I won’t trade human-ness for them.

Let the spirit of being with people continue to be the magic of Christmas.

NOTES:
1. Subang Jaya and Petaling Jaya are cities in Selangor, the west central state of Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia.
2. Kuala Lumpur, the capital, is a bustling, ultra modern, cosmopolitan city of Malaysia.
3. One of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia, Mid-Valley Megamall is located in Kuala Lumpur.
4. Klang, is officially the royal city of Selangor.
5. Don’t play play actually means seriously, or this is serious.
6. Kaw kaw means strong or concentrated. Kaw is usually associated with coffee. Kaw Kaw would mean absolutely maximum. He got a reprimanding kaw kaw for the multiple errors he made in his work assignment.
7. “The Martians Are Coming” usually refers to the panic caused by Orson Wells” 1938 radio adaption of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, presented as fake news bulletins, but it’s also a popular phrase in sci-fi.