Big brother and the chain of Christmas lights.

Last Month, I went to Wellington, at a club house, I saw these decorative lights and they took me back to when I was a young child living in Padang Road in 1960-1966. These were government quarters and the houses were identical.

The kids growing up there either went to the local school, St Mary School, or Methodist School in the town. We went to the latter. While we played, there were some sort of competitiveness.

Dad was the first to buy a Christmas tree. He had studied in London and saw how the English celebrate Christmas. Then he bought a chain our coloured light bulbs which he hung on the balcony. The lights did not "Flicker/twinkle" to our disappointment.

Big brother came to the rescue. He called us younger ones to tell us he had made it work. We went to the balcony and indeed the lights flickered. We were delighted. What we didn't know was he was switching on and off at the switich.

Dad saw him, and stopped him, "Silly boy, you do this and you burn the bulbs."

It was many many years later, that Dad bought chains of chasing lights, and I remember that first chain and big brother.

Every Christmas, I tell this story to my kids.