There's no escape...

Love it or loathe it there's no escaping it. Christmas is coming!

I've had a varied relationship with Christmas over the years.

As a child I loved it, of course. My Mum's religious beliefs were strong and so Christmas was celebrated in the right way, for the right reasons in our home rather than just as an excuse to consume as it is now. Our income was modest but she made sure it was special and we always received at least one great present and lots of stocking fillers. They included clothes too. Looking back I realise why and appreciate that she was a practical woman doing her best to make ends meet, but also ensuring her two children didn't miss out. 

As I "grew up" the partying took over and most Christmas days were spent nursing hangovers and slight feelings of regret. The only hope was that you would be well enough to enjoy dinner with the family.

When Fred was born in 1999 the old magic returned and he has always loved Christmas time. I will remember the small things like looking out of the bedroom window with him to see if we could see Santa's sleigh flying across the sky. I was in my 30s then, but deep down I still believed we might see him and, thankfully, so did Fred!
What's the point if there's no magic?

Now I work in the food industry it's tougher to get in the mood for it and there's certainly no winding down for the holidays. By Christmas Eve I just want to go and lie down in a dark room.

In spite of that I still secretly enjoy it and still hope that Fred will ask me to read "The Night Before Christmas" to him one more time...maybe this year?