Monday 1 October 2012

Calm down, I don't want to think about the 'C' word.

So the spaniels appear to have eaten my bath sponge AND my shower scrucnchie and baths and showers just aren't the same without something to squish up some lather. That's what lead me to R J Supplies, the shop down the road that sells cheap versions of everything.............and I mean everything.
They have a 'useful' section - mops, cloths, gardening tools, lightbulbs, pens, paper etc and a 'gift' section - candles, wrapping paper, cushions, throws, ornaments etc. Some locals claim that the 'R' and 'J' stands for 'rubbish' and 'junk' but I have to say, it's always busy in there and with some of their stuff there's no point paying out large sums for it - sponges and shower scrunchies being a prime example.
They also have a huge Christmas selection...............and these little fellas were sat on the counter.
 
Now I have to get something off my chest - today it's the 1st of October so that certain festive occassion is not for another 2 months and 24 days. I realise that shops have to start early but that doesn't mean to say we have to.
 
I know I sound like a Hovis advert, but when I was a young lass, nobody put their tree up early and as I recall, most shopping was literally done the week before. Of course, when I was a lass Santa Claus ( or Santy as we called him in Alnwick ) brought all your presents..
 
These days, I do like it but I think for Mums all it means is extra work. The pressure seems to mount from September / October when all the adverts and merchandise seem to appear out of nowhere. These only go to remind me how much I haven't done but by now, after all these years, I have fine tuned it to a week of dashing about the shops or trawling the net for a few days around the second week of December.
 
That time of year also hits home how much we have and others haven't got. Every boxing day I announce ''next year I'm going to dish out dinner to homeless people'' but I never do which makes me sad. My intentions are good but I'm not sure that my family would be happy with me not being there.I have also thought of inviting a person that would normally be on their own for dinner but again, am not sure how to go about it and bearing in mind 2 years ago I drank so much bucks fizz that I projectiley vomited in my back yard that i think it may do the lonely person more harm than good.
 
I did start buying  charity gifts a few years ago and have since  told a couple of family members to donate something to charity instead of buying me bubble bath. I don't need bubble bath, I have plenty, and I can't bear token gifts - I would much rather the money be put to good use.
 
I'm not the modern equivalent of Ebeneezer Scrooge and I am not overly religious - I just feel that it's a time  that has become less sacred with every passing year and that the spirit of goodwill should be remembered instead of treated as a huge commercial event.
 
Do I still have time to organise doing  something good for others?
 
Does anybody have any suggestions?
 
Does anybody planning on buying me bucks fizz as a present want to maybe get me something else?

2 comments:

  1. Liz, I am making most of pressies this year for friends and family. And what I buy is going to be very scaled down. I agree with you - I don't want a Dove/Body Shop selection box. Put the equivalent cash in the nearest NSPCC tin.

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  2. Don't feel bad about not volunteering at Christmas, most charities get too many people in December. I've scaled back on Christmas for a few years now, and with the kids being a bit older, everybody's ok with it. It's certainly a lot less stressful and we still have a nice time. x

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