Spirits are high in IM Towers
this week and that’s all because we’re all excited about the fact the Big Fella’s
due in just a few days’ time.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
have both been and gone and most of us have even had our office parties now. All that’s left to do is the last minute
present buying (thank you Amazon for
your super speedy delivery!) and wrapping and then the fun can really start!
There’ll always be a few Scrooges
out there who are quick to shout Bah Humbug!
But generally speaking, I think it’s fair to say that we all enjoy
Christmas. Having a chat over a tin of
Celebrations (other tins of fattening cocoa based confectionery are also
available) at tea break, the Maids’ top reasons for loving the festive season
were:
Food and drink – even the most abstemious amongst us let go a
little at Christmas; so whether its gallons of Baileys that makes you smile or
the largest pile of roasties known to man, go on, fill your boots. Eat, drink and be Merry!
Presents – we’re all brought up with the ‘it’s good to give’
message and it does make you feel all warm and cosy inside when someone you
love gives you a big hug and tells you your present is perfect. I can even laugh at the family sourpuss who
grumbles every year about “more bl**dy socks”.
He doesn’t know that the joke’s on him, as we now all buy him socks just to wind him up, as he’s been
so ungracious in receipt in previous years.
Don’t worry, we all spoil him on his birthday, he’s just an ol’ curmudgeon
at Christmas!
No work for a few days – probably the only time of year that most
of us get to switch off from the office/workplace. OK, so we are still busy, as roast turkey and
all the trimmings doesn’t exactly prepare itself and dealing with over excited
kiddies can be exhausting but at least it’s a break from the usual daily
churn. Of course this doesn’t apply to
all of us - folk in the emergency
services and medical professions have to
work and even poor retail staff often only get one day. Spare them a thought.
Spending time with friends and family – perhaps the best bit for
most of us. Big children return to the nest,
perhaps with their own little ones in tow; smaller children get super excited
and even the most insouciant of teenagers can usually raise a smile for you at
Christmas. Older family members are just
as important and aunties, uncles, grannies and granddads all get spoilt and do
some spoiling too. Catching up with
friends is always special and everyone has the incentive to do so this time of
year.
Seeing the children’s faces – from big wide eyes at the sight of
all the presents to sleepy faces at the end of the day, children have the best
time of all. Presents, films, sweets,
chocolates and non-grumpy parents and grand-parents, what’s not to love?!
Christmas Eve carols – for many of us this is the only time we go
to church, other than weddings, christening and funerals. We all love a rousing verse of O Come All Ye
Faithful. It’s important not to forget
that Christmas is also a spiritual time for many and the celebration of the
birth of Christ is at the centre of the holiday for them.
Leaving out mince pies and sherry for Santa and carrots for Rudolph – such fun! I have even seen parents create tiny elven boot prints in talc on the hearth! Also pretending Santa’s been and nibbling the mince pies and knocking back the sherry (“why has Santa left the mince pie but drunk all the sherry?!” was a regular question in this Maid’s home!) The person with the biggest teeth in the house always has to pretend to be the reindeer, regardless of whether or not raw carrot is a no-no!
TV and Movies – my mother’s favourite pre-Christmas ritual is
buying the Christmas television guides and planning her viewing, not forgetting
reading ahead in what’s happening in the soaps!
I think many of us become at least part couch-potato after stuffing
ourselves silly and quaffing too much sherry.
It’s almost the law now to become sofa bound and semi-snooze (or
downright snore in the ol’ curmudgeon’s case!) in front of the TV for a least a
small portion of Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Yes it’s expensive, yes it can be stressful, yes it’s exhausting and
yes it’s overly commercial but hey - It’s
Christmas!! And for the most part we all
love it!
So Happy Christmas All. Have a
wonderful time and make the most of every precious second with those you love.
And then there’s New Year to look
forward to……!!
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