Message #72009

[Cathy S]

Well I'll go out on a limb on this one ...

... contrary to what the man at the Job Centre thought, the Redundancy Pay I have fought hard to receive, is going to paying bills for as long as possible and not splurging on Christmas.

There is no Christmas shopping for me this year (traditionally I do most of it online) ... the few who receive presents will be getting my time to help them out with a specific task.  I always design and make my own Christmas cards and many of them will be hand delivered. 

Christmas day meals will depend - if I am still dog sitting for the couple next door (because they are at the hospital having their first child) Christmas day will be a long walk with two dogs taking picnic breakfast and lunch with us and probably a roast chicken for dinner after a long hot bath; if I am free of dog sitting, Christmas day will be with my parents and undoubtedly there will be a mountain of food even though they are as usual 'cutting back this year'.

Over the past 13 years, I have built up a lovely range of Christmas decorations and this year there is only the dog to object so I will choose my theme and stick to it.  I do love a real tree but with limited space I have a narrow black fake tree (likely to be decked out in white, silver and a touch of either aqua or mauve (frosty and icy).  The decorations will be put up during the day on Christmas eve and stay up until Twelfth Night.

It is most refreshing ... normally by this point in December I am frazzled with the heaving crowds I have to share the town with on my commute, with the endless rounds of drinks with different colleagues, with the pressure to make yet more cards because the office down the corridor just handed theirs out and to stock up on all the Christmas food in the shops ... living in the country I am escaping all of that and I am really looking forward to a genuinely peaceful Christmas ...

Cathy