The meal went so well it may have spawned a couple of new family traditions. Serving Scotch Egg with the turkey and seating my dad in the kitchen could become regular features of Christmas future.<\/p>\n
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As dictated by more established tradition, coffee and chocolate was taken in the living room and we split into teams for an after dinner board game. Mrs Quatro opted for the Scottish Rugby edition<\/a> from the wide range of Taxi! Board Games available. Her impressive knowledge of Scottish Rugby earned a lot of tips to win her team the game.<\/p>\n Another Christmas tradition was fulfilled when there there was a minor family fall out on our side over who scored the winning try in Scotland\u2019s 1990 Grand Slam win over England. True<\/em>, I shouldn\u2019t have blurted out Tony Hadley without consulting my team but, To Cut a Long Story Short<\/em>, there was no need for my dad to get so Highly Strung.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n My dad\u2019s Tony temper tantrum was only the start of the evening\u2019s emotional excitement. His huff deepened when Rod Stewart\u2019s Merry Christmas Baby<\/em> album which had been streaming on repeat throughout the day was usurped as our Christmas night soundtrack by Gold: The Best of Spandau Ballet<\/em><\/a>. Tony Hadley may not have scored a Grand Slam winning try but he could certainly belt out a power ballad.<\/p>\n With Tony blasting out the ballads in the background and post-dinner drowsiness kicking in, it felt like a good time to waken everybody up by exchanging presents. I felt a little apprehensive giving my first Christmas present to Susie in front of both sets of parents but I was confident my low risk jewellery would avoid any \u2018Thanks, you really shouldn\u2019t have\u2019 awkwardness. Little did I know that a series of serendipitous moments involving a Ferrero Rocher, a coffee table and Tony Hadley would synchronise to create a farcical finale fit for the Christmas special of a dire sitcom.<\/p>\n The final scene of our Coronavirus Christmas started innocuously with me taking the last piece of gold wrapped chocolate and hazelnut confectionery from its packet before rising from the sofa to unhook the more scruffily wrapped present hanging from a branch on the Christmas tree. Like a wise man maintaining a safe social distance in a pandemic, I edged carefully around the coffee table bearing gifts of gold \u2013 my last Ferrero Rocher and an item of jewellery specifically chosen to avoid any emotional turmoil. As I approached Susie, my knee banged hard against the corner of the table causing me to stumble. The golden ball of confectionery slipped from the grasp of my slightly numbed fingers and rolled under the sofa where Susie had settled into one of the thermal sleeping bags for warmth. Fate then intervened with a flourish.<\/p>\n I waited for Susie to extricate her hands from inside the sleeping bag, handed to her the carefully chosen, carelessly wrapped gift of jewellery and got down on one knee to look for the Ferrero Rocher<\/a> which had rolled under the sofa.<\/p>\n At this point Fate\u2019s master plan fell perfectly into place. In split-second synchronicity the gift wrapping fell apart and Susie opened the box to reveal a gold ring, my dad cranked up the volume on the stereo as Tony Hadley reached the first chorus of \u2018Gold (gold), Always believe in your soul\u2019<\/a>, and I said in reference to my search for the lost last Ferrero Rocher: \u201cWill you help me?\u201d<\/p>\n The reply from Susie was unexpected and unexpectedly joyous: \u201cYes! I will marry you!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mr Quatro turned redder and redder in the face as he continued to cough. He pointed frantically to his back. We all looked to his wife. Mrs Quatro paused, then moved closer to her husband and patted him forcefully on the back. The second whack dislodged the mini scotch egg which a still spluttering Mr …<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/taxiboardgame.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/taxiring-300x300.jpg\")
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