Christmas is always a bit of a trial for me; well, that’s bit of an under statement. And it’s absolutely nothing to do with dieting.
Like most people I suspect, I feel very torn about the whole thing. Wanting to celebrate, party and enjoy myself yet hating the hideous expense, the sense of duty, the endless pressure – to spend money you don’t have and to have a good time. Then the horrible comedown afterwards.
Party when YOU want!
Worst of all though is the unpredictable weather. If you’re travelling at any point – and most of us are, if only to the shops or work – the weather can make the difference between having a good time and not having a time at all! The anxiety starts sometime in November for me though for others, it starts a heck of a lot sooner. I once worked with a woman whose arms filled with a sudden ugly red rash simply because someone mentioned the word Christmas! In September! They had to have a special tin into which people placed the pound coins they were fined for saying the word before December 1st.
Christmas in the Summer
So why not move it to the Summer? I’m talking here directly to anyone living in the northern hemisphere. If you live in the south, you’ve already won the jackpot – Christmas on the beach! Brilliant idea!
On Saturday we drove across country to visit my sister who lives a bit to the north and a bit to the east of me. As my British readers will know, and anyone who’s visited here, traveling east to west, or vice versa, in Britain is difficult. North to south is fine. Up and down is catered for. Across… not so much. Even the new high speed rail link planned for god knows when goes up and down. Not across.
Bleak Mid-Winter
In the bleak Mid Winter is it very bleak. It’s especially bleak driving across the Pennines with snake pass roads. Doing it in Winter is MADNESS! Yet each year, one of us does this journey. She, et famille, come to me or we go to them. And I can’t enjoy a minute of it till we’re safely back home and away from frost fears and black ice, snow, blizzards, driving rain, darkness, bright headlamps in your face. You get the idea. It’s always a retrospective pleasure. Phew… got back safely. Now we can all relax.
Well my youngest nephew was 15 on Saturday so we went over avec presents and also several boxes of various items I’d found after a clearout I talked about here last week. It was, well, it was like Christmas!
Party party
There was no pressure to party party but it felt like a party. The weather for mid June wasn’t brilliant but that didn’t matter. Point is, we didn’t have to worry about driving home in the dark afterwards. I could relax. I could enjoy the visit and enjoy it I did. It was a lovely long day, not telescoped by having to leave early to miss the worst of the darkness or bad weather coming in. Yes, we could stay over, or they could stay with us when they come. But like most Brits we have houses just big enough for our needs. We don’t have a west wing for guests, or even the tiniest of spare rooms.
A little Christmas every day
As in the musical Mame, I think we need a little Christmas every day. Perhaps that way it wouldn’t have so much pressure on it and some of us, ie me, wouldn’t go at it like a pig at the trough. I did eat the kind of food I mostly ban myself from eating now. I had quiche – though without the pastry so qui or che – and I had chocolate brownies, cake, chocolate and champagne.
I came home on a high and it remained. Sunday felt like Boxing Day. Today still feels like a holiday which, it being June, it kind of is or soon will be.
Christmas in the Summer
Why not move Christmas to Summer? After all it long ago ceased to be a religious festival for most of us. It’s really a spending festival and nobody has any money at Christmas. Why not move it to Summer? Be much cheaper and it would be so much easier to get to see our families. Also despite eating party food on Saturday, I didn’t eat half as much as I normally do at Christmas. Less appetite in June.
Celebrate New Year in July!
On Sunday the first half of the year ends. I’m going to stick with my theme and celebrate New Year on July 1st. This year so far has been truly rotten for me. I’ve had a horrendous time. Sad, miserable, pissed off, strung along, dropped, anxious, worried, nervous. The whole enchilada. So sod it. I’m celebrating the second half of the year this Sunday like it’s New Year’s Eve. I am determined to have a better second half!
Because New Year’s Eve is a whole other world of shitness isn’t it? Another Fascist YOU WILL HAVE A GOOD TIME OR ELSE!!! Another happiness by date order. Well I’m going to have my Christmas when I feel like it and my New Year too. I refuse to be dictated to by dates!
And the second half of this shit year is NOT going to be so shit!
Have a lovely Christmas in June! And New Year in July. Try it. Might work for you too.
