Christmas 2024

It’s the evening of December 25^th and Christmas – the so-called “big day” is nearly over. As usual, it’s been an enormous fuss over what is, just another day, although as many commentators have pointed out, it does give people something to look forward to and help them get through the darkest of winter months. With the Winter Solstice now passed, the days should slowly be getting lighter, incrementally at first, but then slowly gathering momentum, as we move from January into February, but we’re still some six or more weeks away from that. 

Now that Christmas Day is nearly over, it should spell the end of all those annoying adverts that have plagued our TV screens since the end of October – the ones that encourage us to eat too much, spend too much or waste our money on things we don’t really need. Reality check- it’s new sofas, holidays, and no doubt, weight loss plans will follow suit. Monday was my final day at work, and I don’t have to return until 6^th January (12^th Night, for the more observant amongst you). I picked up our pre-ordered turkey from Waitrose, on the way home, and after dinner, cracked open a couple of bottles from my stash of Braybrooke, Bavarian-style beers. The following day, after a much-needed lie-in, I helped Mrs PBT’s transform the front room from her office, into the dining room that it’s supposed to be.

I had fancied nipping out for a pint, but I was under strict orders from my wife to avoid crowded places, especially public houses! This was despite me having been in several supermarkets over the course of the previous few days, two of which were packed out.  I can understand Eileen’s angst, and “avoid crowds” order, as over the course of many years, both of us have suffered from colds, and even flu during the festive season. It’s doubtful, that crowded pubs were to blame, but once a member of the opposite sex has an idea lodged in their head, it’s going to take a lot of shifting!  Having said that, I’m mindful of the pneumonia she picked up, in December 2017, and how it developed into life-threatening sepsis. January 2018 did not get off to a good start and is an experience neither of us wish to repeat again!

Instead, I decided to up my step count by walking around the locality and delivering Christmas cards to those neighbours we know, personally. The sending of cards at Christmas is a tradition that seems to be dying out, and isn’t one I shan't miss if, it does disappear. I discovered a few weeks ago, that a second-class postage stamp now costs £1.65, so multiply that up by the number of cards that people used to send, and you will soon see why the number of greeting cards posted continues to decline, year on year.

Then there is the even more nonsensical reason for posting cards, which is you get a card from someone you haven't heard from since last Christmas, so you feel you ought to post one back. More time and money wasted, because if you don’t reciprocate, what’s the worst that could happen? If there are people (friends or relations) you are that keen on keeping in touch with, then why not use the world-wide-web, and send them an email greeting?  

Anyway, back to the main event, and the media induced pressure to have that "perfect Christmas". There is, of course, no such thing despite the annoying Christmas ads and promotions which seem to start earlier each year. This huge build up for what, after all is just another day, puts enormous pressure on those who feel obliged to conform, and this is particularly true when it comes to the Christmas feast. It needn’t be, as Christmas dinner, is really just a glorified Sunday roast, albeit with various extra trimmings included. 

This year, as with others that have come before, I left the preparation to the lady of the house, despite offering, several times to lend a hand with peeling the sprouts, carrots and potatoes. Mrs PBT’s also looks after the bacon-wrapped sausages – when did they start being referred to as “pigs in blankets”? Then there’s the bread sauce, a favourite accompaniment from childhood, and an "extra" that young Matthew also enjoys. There’s also sage & onion, plus sausage meat stuffing, plus copious amounts of gravy. It’s a lot of work, for just three people, and whilst in previous years, other family members have joined us for Christmas dinner, 2017 was the last year where we were joined by others, at the table on Christmas Day. 

Without sounding rude, or unfriendly, it's nice just having ourselves to think of, rather than members of our extended families to worry about. We’ve also gone easier on the gifts this year, as there's nothing really that Mrs PBT's or I desire, let alone want, so rather than spend money for the sake of it, we have put it towards a family cruise at the end of March. This will involve taking Master Matthew on his first ocean voyage, for a short, 4-day cruise to the port of Hamburg and back, on the Queen Victoria. This particular queen is our favourite amongst the Cunard fleet, so it should be a good introduction for the lad, to the world of ocean cruising.

As for the remaining 10 days of my extended Christmas - New Year break ("Holidays" for American readers), I shall be using them wisely, to catch up on various jobs, plan out forthcoming activities, chilling out and generally just pausing for some quiet reflection. That’s to say, looking back at what's happened over the past year, what's been achieved and looking forward to 2025. I shall perhaps even making some tentative plans on both the house, garden, travelling and holiday fronts.

Still to come, the traditional look back over the past year- something that seems obligatory for all, self-respecting bloggers.