Sunday 17th November

One gets 365 notice of it, and yet Christmas always comes as a bit of a shock.  There is just so much to buy; presents, cards, decorations and we haven’t even begun to think about food yet.  I have literally a mountain of presents to buy.  Eight grandchildren, three children (and their partners), Mum and Dad, my sister and her partner and her two children and last but not least my own partner.  I did begin this year in France at least, so I got a bit of a head-start and  for reasons of logistics the only date when we can all (or most of us anyway) get together for our now annual pre-Christmas gathering and present exchange is the fifteenth of December.   I seem to be spending every Saturday, and the occasional evening in the week rushing around and shopping.

I used to deliberate for ages before buying presents, worrying whether people would like what I had chosen, panicking that I hadn’t spent enough on one, or too much on another.  But now I am much more methodical.  Firstly I write a budget, giving myself at least an idea of the total outlay, and then a mental list of the order in which to buy them.  I wrap almost as soon as they are bought too; there is nothing worse than to be surrounded by a pile of gifts and you cannot remember whose is whose.

And every year all the adults tell each other to just buy a token gift.  We all agree but when it comes to it, how can you?  What can you buy for fifteen or twenty pounds.   Of late I have taken to making up goody bags for my children, a bottle of nice wine, some unusual jars or tins from France, a pot of jam, some chocolate, maybe hand cream for the women and a CD for the guys.   And it isn’t really the money that is the issue, just the hassle, the queuing up at the tills, the carrying of it all home that is the trouble.

And then all of a sudden it is Christmas day, it is over and we can relax.  At least for a few months…