Christmas Eve
I spent the majority of today working from home – sitting at the desk in the junk room accompanied by my work laptop, mobile phone, and bullet journal. Elsewhere a handful of co-workers were doing the same – throughout the day we kept a chat-window open, and fired messages back and forth – first to greet each other this morning, and then to count the minutes down at the end of the day.
So – it's Christmas! I would perhaps suggest an alcoholic beverage might be the order of the day, but I already did that – a moment after stowing the work laptop in my backpack, I wandered into the kitchen, poured myself a drink, and stole one of the mince pies our youngest daughter helped make this morning.
This evening my other half is off to Church with our younger children. I will of course stay behind – I don't believe in any of it – but would never dream of preventing others from following whichever faith they want. While visiting friends the other evening the subject came up, and I was quite surprised at how many 'non believers' were in the room – and perhaps more surprised that they volunteered their lack of belief. I'm always very careful not to say or do anything controversial – so try to avoid declaring which side of any argument I might align with.
You might think it a little disingenuous to celebrate Christmas when I don't believe in the historical figures the story centres on – and I would completely agree with you. You have to draw the line somewhere though, and if Christmas provides an excuse to buy those I love presents, to get in touch with distant family, and to see smiles on people's faces – then of course I'm going to go along with the crowd for a change.
Didn't the Coca Cola company hijack Christmas in the 1930s anyway ? The Santa Claus we all know was pretty much invented by them. As an aside, did you know that the Elves we all think of as helping Santa were also invented by Coca Cola? They introduced a woodland character into their artwork in the 1940s, called 'Sprite Boy' – which also explains where the product name 'Sprite' came from.
Anyway.
It's nearly Christmas. By breakfast time tomorrow morning all the excitement will be over for another year. The living room will look like a disaster, and we'll be waiting for the inlaws to arrive – we're heading out to lunch at the pub. We have gone out for Christmas lunch for the last several years – the first time it seemed tremendously extravegant, but then we realised it wasn't that much more expensive, and it gave us half the day back. Half a day we normally don't get to hang out, laugh, eat rubbish, and watch terrible movies together.
I should probably go and help with a few last minute chores. If I don't get another chance before the mayhem begins, I'll take this chance to wish you a merry Christmas, good health, happiness, and those other things that everybody seems to repeat.