The sort of christmas I like
I may have whinged that all 2009 was terrible but might I say this was one of the best xmas days ever.
There was no special food, barrage of well wishes to respond to, presents or cheesy tv and radio. All was quiet and normal. The streets were quiet and later on a trip through Boundary Street upturned only 1 pedestrian and a handful of cars.
I am not sure what went wrong with my wiring to not appreciate and celebrate these holidays the way the mainstream does. Perhaps the unwanted excess repels me. Everyone gives more, drinks more, eats more. Go around to anyone's place and they they are intent on your ingesting more than enough of everything. Not indulging seems a slight on their hospitality.
Franky I don't see the point of a fridge full of leftovers to be worked through the next two weeks.
The varied presents only for the sake of giving... Boxes upon boxes of chocolate and biscuit. Things that I feel compelled to keep because they were a gift, even though they are cheesy and badly designed and made. Reindeer mugs or naughty elf t shirts. Seasonal tealight holders.
Nobody gave me the present I really would have enjoyed - a USB drive chocablock with Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra mp3s. This was not very well advertised though, and I didn't ask Santa for it either. :P
All through this great christmas morning I was blissfully unaware that I was supposed to be at the airport. For some daft reason I had told everyone I was flying out at 4pm so imagine my surprise at 3pm when I read my ticket and my plane had left at 2:15pm.
Still, it was not so much trouble - I simply rebooked and was on my way at the time I imagined flying out, 4:15... so in a way I fulfilled my own destiny.
I was able to see a glimpse of my mother, who set me a task as is her wont. She had brought a variety of xmas decorations for grandad's house and spent all morning putting them up with my aunt. She told me to take them down and pack them carefully for next year before I left.
"Our" present for grandad (a surprise to me) was an electronic photo frame, the type that you stick a memory card into and it scrolls all your digital photos. Again, it was a loaded event - she told me she had bought it on behalf of myself, but I would have to exercise my technical wizardry and load up all the photos myself.
I sometimes wonder if my mother was the type of child who would push sand back into crab holes in order to see them busy themselves clearing the blockage. Perhaps she sees me as lazy and in need of tasking.
Grandad put on some food for the 4 of us then my mother had to dash for the plane back.
I spent the rest of the night showing grandad how the frame worked and we sat and watched the different photos come up.
For the person I spent the morning with... thank you for not expecting anything from me. Well, aside from a burlesque performance that I won't do. But he took it with good humour.
This is why I won't go to orphan parties. I don't like being expected to celebrate.
To all, a restful and restorative period until it is time for the world to resume its normal course.
There was no special food, barrage of well wishes to respond to, presents or cheesy tv and radio. All was quiet and normal. The streets were quiet and later on a trip through Boundary Street upturned only 1 pedestrian and a handful of cars.
I am not sure what went wrong with my wiring to not appreciate and celebrate these holidays the way the mainstream does. Perhaps the unwanted excess repels me. Everyone gives more, drinks more, eats more. Go around to anyone's place and they they are intent on your ingesting more than enough of everything. Not indulging seems a slight on their hospitality.
Franky I don't see the point of a fridge full of leftovers to be worked through the next two weeks.
The varied presents only for the sake of giving... Boxes upon boxes of chocolate and biscuit. Things that I feel compelled to keep because they were a gift, even though they are cheesy and badly designed and made. Reindeer mugs or naughty elf t shirts. Seasonal tealight holders.
Nobody gave me the present I really would have enjoyed - a USB drive chocablock with Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra mp3s. This was not very well advertised though, and I didn't ask Santa for it either. :P
All through this great christmas morning I was blissfully unaware that I was supposed to be at the airport. For some daft reason I had told everyone I was flying out at 4pm so imagine my surprise at 3pm when I read my ticket and my plane had left at 2:15pm.
Still, it was not so much trouble - I simply rebooked and was on my way at the time I imagined flying out, 4:15... so in a way I fulfilled my own destiny.
I was able to see a glimpse of my mother, who set me a task as is her wont. She had brought a variety of xmas decorations for grandad's house and spent all morning putting them up with my aunt. She told me to take them down and pack them carefully for next year before I left.
"Our" present for grandad (a surprise to me) was an electronic photo frame, the type that you stick a memory card into and it scrolls all your digital photos. Again, it was a loaded event - she told me she had bought it on behalf of myself, but I would have to exercise my technical wizardry and load up all the photos myself.
I sometimes wonder if my mother was the type of child who would push sand back into crab holes in order to see them busy themselves clearing the blockage. Perhaps she sees me as lazy and in need of tasking.
Grandad put on some food for the 4 of us then my mother had to dash for the plane back.
I spent the rest of the night showing grandad how the frame worked and we sat and watched the different photos come up.
For the person I spent the morning with... thank you for not expecting anything from me. Well, aside from a burlesque performance that I won't do. But he took it with good humour.
This is why I won't go to orphan parties. I don't like being expected to celebrate.
To all, a restful and restorative period until it is time for the world to resume its normal course.