.. and thats all over..

I sometimes get chided as an old curmudgeon, and not always in jest.

At Christmas I really do deserve the label though. It's an old cliche straight out of Charles Dickens, but the older I get, the more antipathy I have towards the festive season.

That probably paints me as some sort of 19th Century money lender fit for a visit of the ghost of Christmas Past, doesn't it? Well I'm not that bad, I plan my present purchases months in advance and hoover up the gifts for E, X and little D with glee. Our little one wasn't too fussed about December 25th this year, but our big one made out like a bandit, as always. X has graduated onto the mega Lego now. Massive, bling-y robot ninja sets which make my childhood Lego offerings look like simple wooden toys in comparison. As I write this his mech ninja robot and ninja helicopter dealie bestride our living room table like a pair of Power Ranger monsters squaring up to one another. I've probably named both those sets wrongly,  and X would correct me briskly if he heard. Like when you tell a child to take his elbows of the table at mealtimes. 

This Xmas was mercifully brief. We loaded up or presents into the car and drove over to see my Mum on the 24th. After a fitful night of sleep the present opening started in earnest. X had the patience of a saint whilst the grown-ups rattled tiredly around him in the house. He would've started opening his gifts at 4am if he had the chance (as I once did, to my shame), but held himself back with admirable restraint. With the rain falling in a steady stream, we strapped ourselves in for the wait before the orgy of eating started. And then we ate. And ate some more. The white wine flowed freely and by evening I felt bloated and ready enough to head home. 

To sum it up, for me Xmas has just become an excuse for large amounts of grub and booze. Hardly a new revelation that, but as time goes by it grates on my sensibilities increasingly. Come early afternoon on the 25th my inner puritan wants to be active, preferably outdoors, instead of slumped on the couch feeling like an anaconda which has just eaten a hippo. 

Hopefully next year we can do things differently. E wants to visit her family come Xmas 2013 and if I had two grand to drop on some plane tickets I wouldn't think twice. In the meantime I busy myself with post Christmas errands and look out the window, hoping for the rain to stop. 

A.    

So the end of the world came and went..

Boom!

.. and I'm sort of relieved!

Yesterday morning I heard some rumbling in the sky about 11.05am (the apocalypse coming a few minutes early perhaps?) but the rest of the day passed without incident. 

Maybe the Mayans just have much longer calendars than we do. Perhaps their 31st December only comes every 5,000 years on their calendars. Justification for a big fuss when the time does come, I guess...

Anyway, it seems I've been good this year and Santa has come early. Someone has unintentionally dropped a very chunky payment into my bank account just in time for Xmas. I did a very weary double take when my checking my bank balance when I clocked the "1" on my balance where usually there is a "0" instead. Ching! ching!    Unfortunately these things tend to get noticed, I'm sure someone will come asking for it back in January and it'd be a bit cheeky to say "no!". Still, I'll consider it a loan and use it for matched betting purposes in the meantime.

A. 

Man Cave business from the dinner table..

As the Man Cave feels as welcoming as a bleak Scottish hillside right now, I've relocated.

I type this at the dining table in the front room. I need no scarf, I can't see my breath when I exhale so its' luxury in comparison.

As E and D are out today I have the chance to blog and get the Xmas cards out the way. Been listening to CDs again too, something I haven't really done for years. As a music beard stroker I wouldve loved E's music collection; Elvis Costello, OK-Go, Frank Black and loads of American bands I've never heard of who look like they have loads of cred. 

Makes me wince when I think about having the Rocky III soundtrack on my phone. Well, almost.

Anyway, we're preparing for Xmas, as I'm sure you are too. It's been manic with the arrival of little D this year so our efforts have been hampered somewhat. The old tree still sits boxed in the attic as it has been superceeded by a 3 foot wall mounted number instead!  X was writing out cards for his buddies the other week, acting like a de facto Santa Claus. In each envelope he dropped a chocolate coin, the size of which depended on whether each child had been 'naughty' or 'nice' that year.

As for X, he's been a good lad this year. He will make out like a bandit this year.. like he does every year.. Frankly, I worry where we will store his presents for Xmas 2012 though.. new wing of the house made out of lego perhaps? Just a thought.

Of course, as 2012 draws to a close there's (supposedly) something else ending. Those pesky Incas must've been having a laugh when they decided to end some of their calendars on 21/12/2012. If it does though, this could be my last post before being flooded/ having the poles reversed under me/ being blown off the ground by Planet X. Hardly something to linger on, right?  I wait the commercial cash in with interest, however.

Nonetheless it might be worth picking up some candles and filling the car up on Thursday 20th just in case - you can get my birthday present to me early too if you want!

At least the Shamen put a positive spin on it.

A.