merry christmas!

Hope you've all been good this year and your stockings will be bulging. Either with presents or from eating too much Christmas grub. Whichever way you fancy x

sound familiar?

Every year. Without fail...

all present and correct

So the people who start buying Christmas presents in October...do they actually stop buying them in October as well? Or do they just keep on buying more and more until finally it is Christmas Day and therefore they are done? 
Cos I bought a couple of presents for the kids at the beginning of December. In an organised manner. Then I bought more. Then I forgot about them and bought more. And when I had bought them enough I saw something one of them would like. So I bought that. But then one of them had more than the other so I had to buy something else. Then one of them mentioned something they wanted. So I had to round up the score again.
And now I've bought them a zillion presents... and I'm not even keen on the ones I bought at the beginning anymore. So I'm really glad I'm not one of those saddos that starts in October. We just don't have room for all those presents.

party party

It was the other half's Christmas do on Saturday night. It was also his mountain bike gang's Christmas pub crawl during the day. By bike. In fancy dress.
We were getting picked up at 6.30pm. By 5.30pm I was beginning to wonder where the hell he was. It was dark, his phone had died and there was no sign of him anywhere. Then Wendy reminded me he did the exact same thing last year. So I stopped worrying and carried on getting ready.
Sure enough he turned up 45 minutes before we were due out. Sweaty. Bikeless. In a Santa suit. And pissed. 
He yawned his head off throughout the entire meal, drank his body weight in more lager and wine and talked complete bollocks. We left after he fell asleep at the table.
I am buying a bike and going on the pub crawl with him next year. It's the only solution.

christmas shopping...

The eldest wanted to go Christmas shopping for her friend's pressies. So I took her into Leeds after school last night. Had all kinds of plans to do mucho shopping myself. But when it came to it I just couldn't be arsed. I've been avoiding shops lately due to the increased numbers of manic shoppers about. So when I got there I was more interested in looking for an outfit to wear on Saturday night. Didn't get one though. The shops really are full of tat at this time of year aren't they?
Hey ho. Still a week of shopping left before the big day. And I never miss a deadline...

dark

I absolutely bloody hate getting out of bed when it's still dark. That is all.

no snow

So today it snowed. Like everywhere. It snowed everywhere apart from here. Well... it snowed a bit here. Enough to make the youngest feel an urge to go on the trampoline for the first time in two years. And come back inside soaking wet. And for AlbertFromNextDoor to get his trusty snow shovel out. But not enough to build a snowman. Or to go sledging. On the sledge we bought 3 years ago which has been sitting unused in the garage ever since. 

So I put the Christmas tree up instead. Happy days.

NotAnAdventCalendar

I soon get bored of illustrating Christmas... It's all the same really isn't it... So glad I didn't start on the old advent this year. Back to autumn for a bit.....

did someone mention christmas?

I ignore the PeopleWithNoLife who start obsessing about Christmas in September every year. 
I have trained my brain to zone out when the PeopleWithNothingBetterToDo bore everyone on social media with their super organised xmas schedule and the fact they have already completed all their shopping, wrapped it and hidden it in the loft. By the 14th of October. 
I smugly tell myself that these people must live such a dull existence, and their autumns must be so boring, that they have to start Christmas early to bring some excitement into their lives.
Then every year, usually around the second week in December, it suddenly dawns on me that I seriously need to get my shit together cos I have so much to bloody do and CHRISTMAS IS TWO WEEKS AWAY!
That time is now 😬😬😬

festive spirit

So it might only be the 3rd of December but I'm catching up fast with my Christmas spirit. I've bought a tree, been to 2 Christmas fairs, ordered a couple of pressies and watched the lights being switched on in the village. I imagine all the nutters who started Christmas in October are gonna be well and truly over it any day soon.... doesn't pay to peak too early people....

feeling festive

Turns out the other half is verybloodygood at surprises! I was whisked away to Paris for 2 nights ❤️ 
I've been to Paris loads for work...I used to go twice a year at one point. But I only ever saw the Parc des Expositions and the shops. I had only seen the Eiffel Tower once ...and none of the other landmarks!
It was so lovely, we went to Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur....and he'd even booked us a trip up the Eiffel Tower!
The boy done good!
But now the BirthdayMonthOfFun is over. For a while anyway. Time to get all festive for a bit. Before the celebrations continue...