And on the Night before the Night before Christmas.....

...I can finally relax....because Its all done!!!

Christmas that is, I mean the preparations, finally wrote my last card today, wrapped my last present and have all the food in...crazy really I spent three times as much in Asda yesterday as I normally would on a weeks shopping and the shops are only shut for one day...ONE DAY...we do it every year don`t we...panic buy sixteen pints of milk and thirty loaves of bread...figs and dates...when else do normal people eat figs and dates...and nuts with shells on...Jesus by the time you have actually found the nutcracker you carefully put in a safe place last year, cracked your nuts (excuse the pun) removed all the shell fragments and actually eaten them you have probably lost the will to live...oh and then you spend the rest of the evening digging your teeth out!!!

And then there is the recycling issue...Jesus dont even get me started on the amount of packaging toys come in...I manage to break at least five nails a year opening Bratz dolls, can never find the batteries I knew I bought and then you always need a bloody screwdriver to get the battery compartment off something, and that's before I have even had a drink...Christmas is probably high up on that stress list I remember from Psychology lectures at university...and if it isn`t it bloody well should be...!!!

I do however love Christmas day, the fact that whatever day Christmas falls on you can start drinking at 10 in the morning and no one bats an eyelid...if that was a Monday in March there would be serious issues, I love that you can eat your entire body weight in mince pies, chocolate and Christmas pudding...olives, blue cheese and pickles...mmmmmmmmmm!!!

But most of all I adore the looks on my kids faces when they come downstairs and Father Christmas has eaten his mince pie and drunk his glass of wine, and Rudolph has taken the carrot we have walked ten miles to find because I always leave it to the last minute and nowhere has any carrots left!!! I love it when they see the "magical fairy dust" at the front door...we do not have a chimney so Father Christmas has a magic key and I especially love the expressions on their faces when they open their presents. I love the fact that they love to give as much as they love to receive and take great pleasure in watching me open presents they have chosen for me. I love time with my family and friends with no time restraints or pressure and the fact we can watch total shite on TV and it is accepted.

I can imagine that everyone else is feeling stressed too and no doubt this will be my last post before Christmas, unless something outstandingly funny or creative happens tomorrow, so I would like to wish all my family and friends, near and far much love and happiness and here`s to a great Christmas!!!