Dear Fae,
Well! That was a damn fine Christmas. My forty-seventh and your first.
Your granny and I were delighted and thrilled you had your first Christmas dinner with us. It was magical. Really. And an honour.
There were many wonderful moments but, for me, I’d pick two that stand out in particular. The first was the gift your Mum and Dad gave me on your behalf. I could say a lot about why and what it meant to me but I’ll tell you yourself when you’re older.
The other moment was dinner itself. There I was; the crusty auld patriarch (how did that happen?) at the head of my table. My eldest son, your Dad, was seated on my right, as is right and proper for the deputy head of the family (no need to tell yer granny I said that, by the way. It can be our secret ;-)), and you were sat between us in your chair, propped up on the stool.
You were only five-and-a-bit months old but, Christ lassie, you loved your grub! Your mum was carting you in and out of the kitchen an hour beforehand so your granny could feed you snippets of stuffing. You loved it and wolfed it down.
So anyway, there we were. Christmas day; me, you, your mum, dad, granny, uncle James and auntie Pod and her fella Daniel. Your auld man let me feed you your dinner and, sweetheart, it was pure magic. It really was. Having you there, part of the whole thing, scoffing your mash, stuffing, peas and gravy as I fed you spoonfuls at a time. I was as proud as punch.
I love you, Fae. Like you can’t imagine. It’s a granddad’s love and it’s very special indeed. You see, we granddads know stuff that non-granddads don’t. We’ve accumulated secrets and knowledge and special powers that others, who aren’t granddads, can only imagine.
As you know, your dad is the boss of you (at the moment ;-)) and as his dad I’m the boss of him. And because I’m his dad, as well as auntie Lorna’s and uncle James’s, I’ve accumulated special granddad knowledge. It’s not something I can go into here because we swear a special granddad oath not to divulge our secrets but, basically, we’re kinda like ninjas only waaay cooler and twice as effective (I’m currently training your dad in this special magic so that if you have little girls and boys of your own, he’ll have the granddad magic as well. When he and I disappear the second Friday of every month, that’s what we’re doing. We’re not really just having beers and a meal with Phil, Neil, Gav and Mick. That’s just our cover story. We have to keep the magic secret, you see).
Your poor parents have the worry, the heartache and the stress of keeping you safe and well, 24/7 365. They will have to be the bad cops when you need them to be – but most assuredly don’t want them to be – and there will be times when they do your nut in. But that’s their job. I’ve been there, as well. When your dad did my nut in!
But here’s the thing; your mum and dad love you and always will. They will cherish you and nurture you and protect you. Sometimes, though, maybe, you’ll find yourself in a place where it’s hard to call for your mum and dad. Maybe you’ll think you’ve done something bad. Perhaps you’ll think you’ll hurt them or disappoint them if you tell them what’s really going on in your life, at any particular moment. You won’t, you know. They love you more than they love anything in the whole world and you can always tell them anything you need to. But if you really feel you can’t…
Well, that’s where your granddad – and your granny – come in. Because of my special granddad ninja skills and magic – and your granny has these powers too – we can solve any problem you encounter. Really. We can always make things better for you.
When you cross our threshold you will only ever find unconditional love. We are only there to help you, make you happy and make things better. Even if it might not always feel that way at the time.
You are a very special little girl and many people love you. None more than your besotted auld granddad. Just remember; as you grow up, wherever you are, whatever you do, whoever you become, you are never ever alone.
Your granny and I are always here for you. Always. Don’t ever forget that. And thank you for making my Christmas pure and unadulterated magic.
Love, granddad xxx
Xmas 2014
Harry Paterson 