The count down started weeks ago, hours have gone into the preparation, lists were made and ticked off and the world looks sparkly with lights and tinsle. It's finally here - Christmas! the time of peace on earth and good will to all (wo)men. The special time of year when cards are sent, presents are exchanged and the general feeling of good will is in the air. Hopefully.
For any one who is brave (or stupid, depending on which way you look at it!) enough to hit the high street and attempt some good old fashioned christmas shopping best have more packed into their Mulberry then their credit cards and good will to all men. A steely resolve to tick off that list, spare change for plenty of Starbucks to keep yourself fuelled and the patience of a saint should also be neatly packed in there, along with a MAC lip gloss, some flats and an emergency bar of chocolate (it may seem excessive but trust me on this one!) The smarter and more organised among us are probably reading this now, giggling at the naivety and absurdity of us high street hitters! Cries of 'Do it all on the Internet!' can be heard coming from every organised woman in the world. Who wouldn't want to do all your christmas shopping, warm and comfy in your pj's, large vino in hand and Jamie Oliver providing cooking inspiration from the TV, it all sounds too good to be true! And for some of us it is. Internet shopping has to allow the factor of time. Time to sit there deliberating how to add the things you want. Time to get through the bizarre check out credit card security thingy (for which I can never remember the password!). Time to reset the security password. Time for your shopping to arrive. Time for it to be sent back and exchanged if needs be. And time is the one something that we don't always have. Those same people who have clicked and emailed there way through their Christmas shopping are mostly likely to be one who efficiently wrote hundreds of cards back in October, had them stamped by November and posted by the first of December. For those of us in the not so organised camp, the first of December is for buying advent calendars and considering that we may need to buy some cards. And for the shamefully unorganised of us (myself included!) with no list, no cards, no wrapping paper and no time management skills it's a Tesco run for essentials on Christmas eve. Even worse was my surprise (?!) when the shelves were have empty and I couldn't get most of what I wanted. My resolve strengthened that next year would be different!
By closing time on christmas eve what's not been bought wont be and our attention turns to the food. As I arrived at the motherships it was clear she had bought in enough food to feed a small country, maybe for several weeks. All diet resolves crumbled at that point and my will power admitted defeat. I will be returning north at least half a stone heavier, thanks mum! Operation size zero will just have to commence in January. Along with operation detox and operation January sales.
As the end of the big day approaches, presents have been exchanged, dinner has overwhelmed us, dad is snoring and the little sis and I are settling down to watch our five favourite men (yeah my brother in law may just be the best!!) on dvd, the end of the year begins to peak it's cheeky face around the corner. But for now, just for tonight peace and calm quietly seep over our full tummy's and happy memories, whilst we silently reflect on how lucky we are to be at home with the people we love. Not every one is that lucky xxxx
Merry Christmas ladies!!
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