It’s the most wonderful time of the year…….. almost. We are hurtling toward the season of jolliness, candy canes and tinsel. Tantalisingly close there’s a hint of gingerbread in the air even if no wee flurries of snow yet.
The shops are loaded with mince pies and selection boxes and all the adverts are promoting good intentions. Our Christmas jumpers have been dragged out of storage and whirled round the washing machine. Last year’s Christmas Jumper Day positively snuck up and caught us on guard – never again will I let that happen.
Waistlines dictate checking early this year just in case I need to wheech round a 24-hour supermarket at stupid o’clock looking for a Christmas duvet to cut sleeve holes in.
I do have our ‘Festive’ face masks at the ready – available from a local establishment that promises us ‘every little helps’.
Facebook memories have already reminded me by this time last year, the Christmas jammies were on and our first showing of Elf already screened.
The surprise hit of 2019 was a Netflix film starting Kurt Russell and I’m pathetically excited by the news this year brings with it a sequel. The kids were quite disturbed by my mentioning he was as handsome as Santa as he was in 1987 when he starred in Overboard. Apparently one’s middle aged mother should NOT be looking at Santa in an ‘awkward’ manner.
This is ALSO the season when mothers of teenage children gets to tell any kid needing some shampoo, toothpaste or a new hair brush “Of course! Absolutely no problem darling, but you’ll need to wait till December and it will be part of your Christmas!” It took my lot years to realise I wasn’t even joking. There is an annual flurry of requests towards mid October these days. They’ve finally learned November brings a dry spell with it.
Those Christmas lists…
Since they were little, our kids have been allowed to ask for three things for their Christmas lists and Santa issues no guarantee all three items being gifted.
This is the result of a nearly impossible quest to obtain a certain item for a small child after she announced on December 23 she had altered her list – a huge, never forgotten, learning curve for us. Trips to visit Santa were subsequently booked earlier in the year rather than as a last minute treat for that exact reason.
The first year we took them to see Santa it wasn’t long after I had child number three AND lost my mum. Fortunately the mister was on hand to apologise for his wife who had to be led away because her overly emotional sobbing was disturbing the elves.
Got to love hormones, I’m fairly sure we’re still on a Saint Nick watch list somewhere.
One of my favourite visits to see the big man was at the Botanical Gardens. Once the Ho Ho Hos were delivered he went on to enquire as to the children’s lists.
Trying to be a smart ass, one of mine announced that she wasn’t sure and he’d need to wait and see. Santa didn’t miss a beat. Didn’t hesitate even for a moment. He just announced that she was ‘one of those kids’ and went on to ask if she helped round the house etc.
When she announced she did indeed, her job was to do the dishes he just looked at her, took a moment and asked if she washed, dried and put them away because if not it didn’t count! Now, I’ve been a massive fan of Christmas my whole life but this guy became the Santa Legend.
Christmas here is usually spent with our girls, extended family and our friends. The run up to the 25th is always manic due to the business but the time in between is all ours.
Our anniversary is even December 27 to keep the party going on a little longer. The year 2020 has been a strange one indeed but we can’t help feeling a little cheered by the fast approach of the first week of December, when it becomes officially allowed to utter the words ‘stuff it, it’s Christmas’.
Fancy a drink tonight? ‘Absolutely, it’s Christmas’. Should we eat five packets of biscuits? ‘why not, it’s Christmas, please pass the tin’….
