It needed checking again; it had slipped a number of times here. The Eve was tonight, in fact, or the morrow?… Surprising the costuming quite absent. One could be forgiven for thinking some anarchist types had been on a quiet rampage, without the authorities wishing to raise the alarm. Even at the library yesterday, nada. The Box for teh after, same—behind the counter the lads in their usual uniforms. Not even strung cards; pudding specials nowhere in sight. Restos nearby staff similar. Was there a tree anywhere the length of North Bridge Road? Had one been mooning blindly on the bus coming out? Until the turn onto the square by McD’s & Starbs the soul completely at peace, easy calm throughout. All morning Asian tourists around Bugis must have been vainly hunting backdrops for their selfies, before accidentally stumbling upon the thoroughfare with the baby pink & blue stage opposite the fountain. (Turned off yesterday it seemed, for allowing smoother passage, perhaps.) Without carols & hymns did this even deserve the name of Christmas? How were you s’posed to remember the manger? There may have been an electrical fault. The Santa caps on the pixie girls passing, nowhere Gingerbread gone begging. Something was seriously amiss. Imagine the same in Bourke Street or Bondi. Times Square. Imagine the meltdown on Truth Central. The family had flown down to Florida from memory, where the pressies would be placed beneath the tree. There might be visits to soup kitchens in the morning for Mel, after she had changed. The hairdresser, the dressmaker. Hopefully the candlestick guy had added just the right amount of scent. Ljubljana prepared a live feed, all those good former commies staying up to watch, never mind the time difference. What you don’t wanna see on the streets in this particular quarter in the next 48 hours is a brown face crowned with the fluffy. (Filipinas were forgiven.) It was not so common, but past years it had certainly occurred. Couple years back at one of the chains in Indo a ruckus had been raised over management’s dictate for staff through the season. Promptly rescinded. Being so thoroughly steamrolled, pulverised & shattered, the Chinese you forgive. Even in Riyadh the incidence might be higher this year. Gaza possibly accounted for it, when the clamp had allowed not the merest whisper. Homebound passing The Animal Retreat on Guillemard Road—hotel, daycare & grooming facility—a big size Santa costume had been hung to dry over the railing of the front fence. That was one operation going the extra mile for the furries. One of the malls was featured in a newspaper through the week pumping out laundry suds for the kiddies.
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