Tag: Christmas Eve

bookmark_borderStill busy

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I know it’s still October (just) but I just wanted to say that I’m looking forward to Christmas this year, largely because it’ll be a holiday.

The sale of the house is complete, debts have been paid off, and all that is left for me is to change the address on my driver’s license, join a gym, and buy a few bookcases and a some bedroom furniture (I have other purchases planned but they’ll be Christmas presents to myself, before the VAT rises).

The past couple of months have been somewhat busy; packing, fretting, phoning, packing, phoning, signing, phoning, fretting, phoning, fretting, phoning, unpacking, unpacking, phoning, fretting, unpacking, phoning, celebrating!, unpacking, buying, paying, phoning, paying, phoning, paying, partying, not to mention working.

November is looking just as busy if not quite for the same reasons; Working, travelling, working, Working, gigging, working, gigging, Working, gigging, Working, working, Working, working. I’m attending three gigs in one week and a wedding in Bristol, I’m making a start on revamping the ISTC website, building a website for someone else, and all the while at Work we are planning ahead to 2011 and all that that entails (plans, spreadsheets, meetings and more plans).

December is a bit calmer but will soon devolve into the usual whirl of nights out, parties, and shopping until it hits Christmas Eve as from then, until the 5th of January, all I’ll have is food, drinks, good company, presents and copious amounts of sleep.

Which, if you ask me, sounds bloody marvellous.

bookmark_borderSanta is on his way

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So, go on then, which list are you on? Naughty or Nice?

Naughty for me, without doubt, and frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way. Those “Nice” kids have no fun whatsoever, life is too short.

I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve already, but then as my sleeping patterns are all fucked up as I’m hacking and coughing like a the seasoned 80-a-day smoker I’m not. Huge balls of phlegm that gargle and bubble in my… ohh too much information? Sorry. It’s not too bad to be honest, and if nothing lese means I have a real excuse for sitting watching movies all day (all 4 hours of The Ten Commandments the other day, currently singing along to The King and I).

And tomorrow the big day itself. A day of presents and food, and drink and.. ohh I’m tired thinking about it already.

Perhaps it’s time for another snooze.

To all who celebrate, have a very Merry Christmas!

bookmark_borderThere's only one more sleep…

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It’s Christmas Eve. It’s 8.10am. I’m drinking strawberry milk, eating cherry cake and watching The Muppets Take Manhattan.

The only thing that the previous items have in common is, somewhat obviously, me, so why am I mentioning them?

Well, I can’t really control the fact that it’s Christmas Eve but as it’s the festive period I was catching up with my best friends last night. We had a good night of beer, cocktails, curry and the usual laughter and pisstaking. I was a little tipsy but then I did have 3 pints of Staropramen, 1 Peartini, 3 Brandy Alexanders, 1 large glass of a rather nice Malbec, 1 pint Loo Toofan, a bottle of Budvar, and a vodka and fresh orange.

You know, when you write it down… sheesh.

Ohhh no Kermit just got knocked down!!

Actually, I’m not that sure where this blog post is going. In fact, I think I’m going to go back to bed.

So, whilst I remember, and in case I don’t see you, have a Merry Christmas everyone. This blog is nothing without you, dearest reader. Thanks for returning, reading and commenting.

bookmark_borderGood company

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As Christmas approaches I slowly start to get into the spirit of things, literally and figuratively, with the start of the usual round of nights out, last minute shopping, and the frantic wrapping of that present that I bought back in August but completely forgot about and only discovered when I tried to hide a second present in the same place.

Although I did consider just keeping it for myself.

Last Friday was the team lunch, held as tradition dictates, in the Fox & Hounds in Houston. Thankfully we are a quiet bunch so the other diners wouldn’t have been disturbed that much, well they wouldn’t have been if they hadn’t put those big long tiger balloon things on the tables. You know the ones, you blow them up and the fire them off round the room, hearing their whine sputter and die as they run out of air and fall limp into the only bowl of soup at the table.

It was a good afternoon, a few drinks, some stories and laughter. I work with a good bunch of people (aside from him.. ohh and him… and I won’t even mention her.. ) and before I knew it I was in a pub in Glasgow and I was being asked to finish my drink and make my way outside.

So I stoated outside, pished as a fart, had a couple of fights, pissed in an alleyway and puked in the taxi on the way home. Fuckin’ brilliant night!!

Or perhaps I simply said goodbye, phoned a taxi and wandered to George Square to get picked up, had a nice chat with the taxi driver, tipped him well, wished him a Merry Christmas and went to bed.

And by the time I awoke someone had gone into Glasgow to pick up my kilt for the official company night out on Saturday night, which, to all extents and purposes, was much the same. Good company, good food, great band (same as last year), some dancing, some drinks and another nice friendly taxi driver.

Admittedly, given that both nights ended with me getting to be at 4am and 5am respectively, I was a little tired on Sunday so spent most of the day doing NOT MUCH AT ALL. Which included a nice wee sleep just before dinner (missing the last 30 mins of the Arsenal vs Liverpool game).

Not a bad weekend that, and tomorrow I get to go out with the best company of all. My best friends.

And then, all of a sudden, it’ll be Christmas Eve.

bookmark_borderThe festive period

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December the 24th is Christmas Eve. I mention this not as a startling revelation but because it’s the first of eleven days that I have off work. So if I discount the 25th and 26th of December, as well as the 1st of January as I’m Scottish and by law we are not allowed to go to sleep until at least 4am on New Year’s Day, I have approximately 8 days or so with nothing planned.

That will, of course, change.

I reckon, if I’m generous with my estimates, I’ll have five or six days to myself. I’ll say five just to be on the safe side.

That’s five whole days in which I can, within reason, do what I want. Watch some old movies, play some games, read a book, generally chill out. That kind of thing. Five days is a lot of time, so let’s presume I do some chores around the house as well, a little decorating or general DIY bodgery.

Yes, I could get a lot done in five days and I have to admit I’m looking forward to the time off as it’s been manic these past few weeks and whilst it’s probably partly because the holiday is getting closer, I’m definitely feeling a little ‘punchy’. Yes, five days is plenty to recharge the batteries all the better to start the new year afresh.

Except we all know what’ll happen.

Person X will decide to pop over and that’ll turn into dinner, which’ll turn into tidying up, shopping for food, preparation, entertaining and finally punting them out the door sometime before midnight.

Person Y will suggest that we could go out for a meal and a movie, which’ll turn into a late afternoon meal, a movie, then drinks and we’ll get home sometime after midnight.

Person Z will phone and ask us over for dinner, or just to see if we are going to visit and that’ll turn into “well if we are seeing Z, we could go and see Y and if we are seeing Y we are as well staying over with X” which means that we’ll need to prepare, pack an overnight bag and leave early morning, getting home sometime later the next day.

And before you know it it’s Sunday the 4th of January, 2009, I’m back to work the next day and I’ve not done anything that I’d hoped to do and I’m probably more stressed than I was on Christmas Eve.

It’s the same every year.

So, this year, I’m not planning to do nothing, and I’m not planning to do everything, instead I’m expecting to be busy most days and to make the most of the moments inbetween.

P.S. Persons X, Y and Z are interchangeable and do not, in any way, correlate with members of my family (immediate or otherwise) or any of my friends. Honest.

bookmark_borderThe Calendar Lies

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I always forget how much I enjoy winter. Not all of it, I could happily live without seeing a pile of dirty, melting slush, but I do enjoy those crisp, clear mornings which still seem eerie and magical, a light dusting of ice, sprinkled over the land, glittering in the glow of sunrise.

We were in Balloch yesterday morning, standing at the southern end of Loch Lomond, soaking in the view of the snow drenched mountains that march away into the distance. The mountain tops merging with the sky in an endless arc of glaring white, stunning.

Such days are few and far between and should be savoured all the more for it.

That aside, has anyone noticed that it’s only two weeks until Christmas!! Why didn’t anyone tell me…

As ever the calendar is already starting to bulge, I pick up my kilt on Wednesday for the office Christmas party on Saturday. Louise has her party the same night, handily in a hotel near my office so we are staying there rather than face the perils of a £40 taxi fare. I’ve still got a few presents to get, a couple for Louise and a few others. The car is in for a service a week today, and I think either one of us is out every night until Christmas Eve.

What is the rush I wonder?

Still, at least I have a couple of weeks at work to get my head sorted for next year and get some planning done. It’s a bit of a luxury and I’m going to take full advantage of it.