Audio Description

Maxine’s Selby Connection

Maxine lives in Leeds but is from Selby – she comes back frequently to see friends

Maxine’s Selby Story

My Christmas Eve Arrival — Selby, 1955
Narrated by our xmas tree

Maxine arrived in Selby on a Christmas Eve in 1955, when the town still smelled faintly of coal fires and sugar beet drifting from the factory across the river.Sentinel lamps glowed along the streets, giving everything a soft, warm halo as though the town itself was preparing for something special.

Inside our little house, the cold pressed at the windows, leaving them dusted with frost. But indoors it was cosy, the sort of heat only a coal fire can give — all crackles, little pops, and an orange glow that made the shadows dance. Maxine’s brother and sister were perched right in front of it, cross-legged on the rug, whispering about Santa and arguing over who would hear the sleigh bells first. They were full of excitement, though they didn’t yet know they would receive an extra special gift on Christmas morning.

I was dressed the way most trees were then: homemade paper chains looped carefully around the branches, a star cut from old card perched at the top, and bits of tinsel that had seen far more Christmases than the children. Sparkly lights — the heavy glass kind that never quite matched in colour — gave the room a gentle glow and made my branches groan a tad.

In the corner, the black-and-white TV flickered away, no remote control of course, just the fuzzy picture of a Christmas programme humming softly as background cheer. The adults kept glancing at one another, then at the clock on the mantel and the children were bustled off to bed. Times were hard and money wasn’t plentiful, and yet the room felt rich with something better than gifts.

Outside, the Abbey bells chimed the hour, echoing right across the rooftops. A steam train whistled somewhere near the station — a sound I’d heard many times, but tonight one that would mark an exciting entrance into Selby.

While the children strained their ears for Santa, Maxine decided it was time to make her debut.

And so, on that frosty Selby night, as the fire crackled, the TV glowed, and the paper chains swayed gently in the warmth, she made her welcomed arrival. Not down the chimney like the man in red, but close enough in timing for children to believe Santa had delivered an extra surprise.

By the time Christmas morning came, the family woke to full stockings, the promise of presents under the tree, and the discovery that the biggest gift of all hadn’t been wrapped at all.

Maxine was their Christmas present — the one the children hadn’t expected, but the one the whole family had been patiently waiting for.

This is the story of my ‘journey’ to Selby. Growing up in Selby I had a happy childhood and teen life; attending both Flaxley Road and Selby Grammar Schools. Making life long friends contributed to my happy experience there. Although I haven’t lived in Selby since leaving for College in Bournemouth in 1974, an affinity has remained with my parents, relatives and friends living there. Plus my marriage was at Brayton church in 1976. Venturing back frequently has ensured that Selby, even though hardly recognisable, has remained in my heart

Character Sketch and Collage