Christmas Longjohns
Introduction
It was a few days before Christmas, the
small flakes of snow began to cover the
window. December 1947 was one of the
coldest months Ireland had ever
experienced.
And that was why my father bought a pair
of longjohns.
They were white and woolly. My brother
and I fell about laughing when he appeared
one morning wearing his amazing new
under apparel.
“You look like John Wayne on a bad day”
my brother shouted as we both ran off.
Today, mid July, is the middle of an
Australian Winter. The temperature has
reached its lowest limit and my fragile ears
feel like ice blocks. Somehow it reminds me
of that morning from long ago.
The reflection from my frosted window
shows an old man holding a cup of coffee,
standing in his longjohns. He looks
remarkably like my late father,and, I must
say, strongly resembles John Wayne- on a bad day.