Christmas Time With Bridget Jones

Bridget Jones has been my friend for close to 15 years now and I have loved every minute in her company.

I thought I would introduce her to you this Christmas because she is always good for a laugh, to have a drink with, to help you when you’re feeling low, or to share funny stories with.

I was first introduced to her by my mother at the tender age of 16. I was amused at her stories and laughed so much I didn’t want to leave her. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to appreciate her even more.

Bridget is like me and like my friends. She shows us that as perfect and put together as someone might look on the outside, inside we are all unsure of ourselves and just trying to get by. Like her, most people have times when they feel like a fool and times when they are unsure of their careers and relationships. As well, a lot of us have formed urban families of close friends because we live away from our real families. It is with friendships like these that a lot of us feel most at home and most welcome; with these people we don’t feel judged and we are happy to let it all hang out.

I will share with you one of Bridget’s stories that is heart-warmingly appropriate for the Christmas season.

One year Bridget’s mother had been talking about a famous human rights lawyer who lives in London who she was going to set her up with at the family New Years party for at least six months. Of course her mother denied this, but it was so obvious Bridget knew there was no way she was getting out of it. She hated being set up, especially with a room full of her parents’ friends watching, and she was mortified when this lawyer, Mark Darcy, clearly was not interested in talking to her. Not that she liked him, he was a stuffy Torrie lawyer with bumblebee socks after all, but she at least wanted the option of turning him down.

Luckily for her (and him), by the next Christmas, and after many happenstance as well as planned meetings and many embarrassing moments (including her mother running off with a criminal and Mark saving the day), she and Mark Darcy began to like each other and care for each other. You might even say they had started to fall in love.

So from me to my urban family, and from Bridget to hers, and both of us to you all, have a great holiday season.

Contact the author here: mack@morningquickie.com