Chritmas Memories

Little sweetheart, I’m thinking today, remembering our last Christmas. I wanted, as I always did, to get you something nice from our London friend’s jewelry store in Oxford Circus. I had a thought to get you a silver charm bracelet with a couple of inaugural charms but it was taking forever for it to arrive and I wasn’t at all sure it would make to California in time for the holiday.

So, I also, as ever, was keeping lookout to see what might be catching your eye in the days leading up or any kind of clue. You mentioned something about wishing you had a nice angora sweater. It was only something in passing. Maybe you had a bit of a chill or perhaps we saw a girl in one that you fancied. Anyway, I immediately got in touch with your best friend Danya to see if she knew where I could find you one. She pointed me to some retailer, I can’t remember now who, and I got you a pink one in small. I gave it to you on Christmas day and you loved it. Far more than the charm bracelet, actually, when it finally did turn up.

We were also working very intently on the band’s new EP at the time and you had begun to write songs yourself. You had begun asking me what instrument you should get, you wanted to learn to play something but you weren’t interested in guitar or bass. I really liked the idea of you playing a small drum kit, standing up like Mimi from Low. And I also told you about vibes - an idea you liked a lot until we saw how expensive they are and not exactly super portable.

You wound up getting a keyboard. A neat one, a Privia. It had a gig bag case with wheels - you could zip the keyboard up in it, turn it on one end and drag it away. You had that well before Christmas. I think your mom got it for you, and you’d already written two songs on it. You set it up on the kitchen table at your parents house over the holidays it retained place of pride there throughout. You’d sit behind it and play and sing. Sometimes when we were there on our own, I’d plug my practice electric into a little 9 volt amp and we’d play together.

One thing I thought about and really wish I’d done was to get you a microphone for Christmas, too. Maybe you could plug it into an amp or use it with an interface on your MacBook Air or have it when we were in a practice space or here in the studio through the band’s PA. Mostly, it was just for you to have and it to be yours. I think the practicality of it was why I didn’t get it for you - I wasn’t sure how you’d immediately use it. But I regret now not just getting it for you as a gesture. One of the things on your list to your dad was a loop station and he got it for you. Your thought about that - because I’d told you about it - was to use it purely for vocals so you could sing harmonies with yourself. I think we’d have needed a USB mic for that but regardless I wish I’d gotten you the Shure 58.

You sure did look good - and happy! - in that little pink angora sweater, though. With all my love forever….