BAH HUMBUG?

Within minutes of publishing my last blog I had people complaining that I was being a bit unkind and miserable about December and Christmas. The argument presented was that people didn't ask to be born in December and why should they miss out. I was also accused of being unusually negative about the festive season.

I took all the criticism in my stride and for a while felt really bad. Actually no I didn't! I'm telling tales. I just laughed at all the fuss  being generated, because in reality this blog does me the world of good , is cheaper than therapy and will keep going. So, if I occasionally say something you disagree with or don't like, my advice is that you don't read any further. I have no intention to offend but I need to write my way or its not therapeutic at all.

With regards to December birthdays many actually agreed they really are a pain in the neck, but I am tongue in cheek when I say ignore them. Unfortunately with a Dad, mother in law, sister in law, two nieces and a sister all having birthdays in December I get no chance to ignore. So settle petals, your presents are in the mail. I was just winding you all up!

The second accusation of being negative about Christmas concerned me and required further investigation. Was I indeed negative? Had I lost the joy of Christmas ? Was I encouraging people to cheat on Christmas by cutting corners? To answer this question I put on my detectives hat and I went Christmas shopping with my six year old niece Olivia.

Olivia is one of the chosen in that she has a December birthday three days after Christmas. She is also an expert shopper. This year on her birthday Olivia will be flower girl for her aunt's wedding. When I asked her if that meant I didn't have to buy her a birthday present because that was present enough, she simply looked at me and said emphatically, "NO, we have to go shopping".

By the time we arrived at the shopping centre the husband was begging for ear muffs to protect him from an excited six year old's non stop chatter. Within seconds we hit jackpot as Santa came round the corner and high fived Olivia. She was both shaking with excitement and a little confused , as the neighbours had told her he was at another shopping centre, not here. While she worked it out, I checked out the slim shaped Santa and wondered when skinny Santa became acceptable. And when for goodness sake did he start high fiving kids?! Fat,cuddly Santa and "ho ho ho here's a lolly" is what I remember. Olivia obviously knew no better and by the look on her face didn't care. (Just for the record, I did. It looks all wrong).

Next stop was the department store where excitement hit peak levels when we found the Barbie carriage we were looking for. Madam seemed quite happy with one expensive present for both Christmas and birthday (time saver 101), though we did sneak in a Christmas princess T shirt on the way out. Couldn't help myself!

Outside the store, the husband was sent packing with Barbie carriage and trolley, because Olivia spied a gingerbread decorating centre for kids and decided she and I should go. The organiser said it would take ten minutes to complete, but my niece obviously needed the master class, because that kid had the gingerbread man decorated and eaten in record time. I felt quite smug walking past the other parents whose children so obviously did not possess the fine motor skills my niece possesses. Or maybe it was due to her greater urge to eat, because that poor gingerbread man couldn't run away from this hungry kid if he tried! Her gingerbread man was gone in minutes.

By this stage I was tired and ready for home but 'twas not to be because the next corner was home to a face painter. With a new found respect for mothers everywhere and patience on our faces, we queued with the other kids. I had absolutely no idea what the final face painting was, but she was delighted with it and we made a getaway before she saw something else. Apparently  it was a Christmas stocking but to me it looked like putting your makeup on with a few drinks in you. Not that I've ever done that of course!

So, has my Christmas perspective changed because of my outing with Olivia? Will I be rushing out to buy presents, cook, wrap and spend like I normally do? The answer is still a resounding NO. While it was fun, the lesson here is that Christmas spirit comes from simply being with someone I love and seeing the excitement on her face. She obviously enjoyed being with us because when we took her home, she teased her sisters about the fun they had missed out on. I'm not sure the present actually got a mention. To quote her, she had " an extraordinary time"! 

So the allegation that I am being negative about the festive season is thrown out. In all honesty after a rotten year, I actually think that for the first time I am seeing things clearly and I have got it right. This year it's going to be more about spending time with people I love than all the frippery of Christmas. Yes I'm actually going to cut all the corners I can and let a simple Christmas reign in my house. This year I'm going to go to Christmas mass with a smile, rather than worrying about whether food will be ready for an army at lunch. This year I'm not running the credit card around town and regretting it in January. And finally this year I am going to stop worrying about the small stuff and let it all go. I'm actually excited!

Bah humbug? No way!  Till next time xxx