Christmas hmmmmm bug -- Ahhhhh

Christmas again. I love the music. I am bored with the waiting. Waiting to get things done. Here I am today twiddling. My husband is farting around doing this and that -- he won't be bothered ('bovvered') until Christmas Eve. Then he will start asking me if I got 'something' for this person or that, or sent them a card. And did I remember 'whatever' ...

So on we trudge toward the 'big' day/week, depending on where you live in this world. In the U.S. I always feel let down after Christmas Day. Big preparations and the decorating splurge all feel flat by the 26th of December. On this side of the Atlantic Christmas is a two -day holiday and for most people lasts through New Year and on through Epiphany. Many Americans, in an attempt to stave off the 24-hour blow-out, keep their lights up -- especially the outdoor festive fare -- until Valentine's Day! Which seems to me rather pathetic.

Yesterday the tree went up -- we picked a nice bushy, traditional English Christmas tree -- which was also the cheapest! And imagine this, it's also our preferred type of tree. Smells good, too. I also managed to make a traditional Christmas log, for our dessert -- in the freezer (what a delicious chocolate mess I made) and am slowly checking things off the 'to-do list'. I think I've bought all the presents and wrapped what needs wrapping. Today ma belle-soeur arrives -- ah check off the list that I've made her bed!

Quite a bit of discussion this year in the media about Christmas cards. Personally, I love Christmas cards. Especially getting them. Sending them is a chore, but it is nice to think about the people we have managed to keep in touch with over the years. It is an expensive thing to do, however. I divide my cards into three parts -- across the oceans, Europe and the UK. The postage runs about £25 - £30 and on top of that there is the cost of the cards -- which cost less than the postage, for sure! I don't send cards to people because I feel I have to -- I send them because I want to, which for me is the whole point of the exercise and somehow makes each Christmas an inclusive time of the year.

So, now it's on with the decorating -- almost done!

Seasonal Scream

I've taken down my first seasonal 'ornament' today. It's one of my favorites: A plastic, blow-up of 'The Scream' --er -- given to me a few years ago by my sister. Christmas had become such a Herculean ordeal for me that I had taken to adding a parenthetical Scream! Scream! Scream! after each use of the word whenever writing letters or emails. I was delighted to receive my surprise replica in the mail!

The 'Season to Be Jolly' was weird this year -- rather overshadowed by the darker side of life. I don't much like these times. Doom and gloom. And the weather -- Nothing is 'the same' -- except maybe the sun and the hours of day and night. Otherwise the flowers don't know when to give up, the leaves don't know when to drop and the birds don't know when to fly wherever it is they fly.

And then we were all treated to the lynching/hanging/execution of that Iraqi guy. Well I guess the media rather looked at it like a Christmas present the way they went on and on and on and on and on ... We stopped watching the news and reading the papers -- just skipped the first several pages of the newspapers we did buy. Honestly, it was as if we were brought backwards in time to when executions were calls for public gatherings and celebrations.

So, it was with some relief that New Year's Eve, spent as usual lately at home, glass of champagne in hand, with husband at my side, I felt a surge of hope that 2007 has to be better and that I want to be better, too. To be honest, I don't often feel that way on New Year's Eve and given recent events, it came as a surprise that I actually had this rather positive feeling.

Now if only I could get blogger to upload my screaming picture ...