not quite Christmas

While everyone around me seems to be slightly stressed about Christmas, I am happily plodding along. It's ok you know, not getting sucked in to vortex that is Christmas. On the whole, I prefer my Christmas fresh. If I have Christmas in the house for weeks before the actual day, I grow tired of it. But I am looking forward to choosing a tree next week, and decorate it with the kids. Preferably with some cheesy pop Christmas songs blasting out of the speakers. I have been resisting the urge to play those so far but I am not sure how much longer I can resist. I am also looking forward to baking Christmas cookies and making a few festive decorations. I have a few strings of fairy lights to hang in addition to the one that has been on our apple tree for a few weeks already. Lights are my favourite decorations.

Of course, gifts need to be organised ahead of time but our gift giving tradition is comparably modest and we only exchange gifts with close family. The list of purchases or makes is short. I do all my shopping online because I feel completely paralysed by the overwhelming message to buy and buy some more. I went to Boots today to get a couple of things I needed and I was stunned by aisles upon aisles of "three for two mix & match" special offer presents. I spent a few minutes exploring the selection. The majority seemed to be future school fair tombola items. I can see how one can get sucked into buying though. A set of one hundred eye shadow colours found its way into my hands and I don't even use eye shadow! And no, I didn't buy it.

Our Christmas meal is not complicated and requires little shopping. This year we are having a BBQ with a selection of favourite steak cuts, some seasonal sides and of course pudding. I fancy lemon meringue pie. I also want to buy some cheese. The local cheese monger is one shop I enjoy visiting. The queue is long but merry and new fleeting friendships are formed.

Christmas cheerfulness is happening though. Last week, St Nicholas paid me a visit. St Nicholas Day is one of my favourite Christmas traditions that is not celebrated in Britain. In Switzerland, St Nicholas day is celebrated on the 6th of December. When I was little (and not so little), St Nicholas would come and visit in the early evening. He had a big hessian bag containing little hessian bags full of nuts and chocolates and other little treats. Our St Nicholas was dressed in red and had a big white beard. More traditionally, St Nicholas would wear  a bishop's robes. St Nicholas also had a big book in which he kept notes about me. One year I remember he was very pleased that I had learned to use cutlery like a big girl. You had to be good to get a little hessian bag with treats. I was always good. St Nicholas also liked to hear a little song, or a poem or something. Family folklore has it that I offered him a glass of whiskey once but I can't remember that. Maybe I thought of distracting him from a naughty thing I feared might be noted down in the big book of good behaviour. When I was a little older, we would get together with other families for a bowl of goulash soup, sharing the anticipation. The meat was like treasure, hard to find and a little gristly, too. At some point, we got too grown up for a visit. Last week, St Nicholas day came and went unnoticed by anyone but me. And St Nicolas it seems. He had recently passed through Britain, and posted a parcel to me, with the help his good friend Elizabeth, who knows just how much I miss the St. Nicholas tradition. It arrived spot on time despite the Royal Mail being overstretched with Christmas parcels already. The parcel contained a beautifully wrapped box full of goodies. There was a short note that made me cry a little. There were nuts and chocolates and a candy cane, two beautiful crochet stars, hand made tea bags, a dried tiny orange studded with cloves and festive muffin cases. I must have been a good girl in the past year. Aren't I lucky? Thank you St Nicholas. Thank you Elizabeth for remembering this special day for me.  

I am off work now and won't have to go back until January. The children are still at school. Double lucky, eh? I am very kind to myself and limit the chores to one hour a day. For the first two days of my holidays, I have been listening to a ghost story and favourite radio programmes. I have enjoyed long walks with Jack and I have spent hours stitching on my big quilt. Tomorrow, Richard and I are planning to buy Wedgewood seconds in a local kitchen shop. There has been a lot of accidental plate smashing lately and we don't have enough dinner plates for our visitors. On Thursday, I am going for a Christmas lunch with my former work colleagues. On Friday, I am having a hair cut. What are you up to? I hope you are enjoying some peace and quiet, too. xx