Having had 74 Christmases, it's now a tad ordinary.
Beforehand there's all the searching for presents for those who already have everything they need and most of what they want. Then there's the decorations pulled out of their hiding places in our garage and the decisions about food; roast lamb, leg of ham, chicken? What about sweets?
After hours of preparation in the kitchen breakfast and lunch much of what has been prepared has been demolished. Then it's time for dinner well after presents have been opened, but nobody is hungry having nibbled on chocolates, cake and leftover potatoes. Toblerone anyone?
Our children are adults now and one of them has a son who turned 21 recently. We usually negotiate what each wants for Christmas now to save giving people stuff they don't like and don't want. For his birthday in late November we gave him some money so he can buy what he wants and I gave him a surprise. It was a Victorinox multi-tool.
I have some things that belonged to my mother and father, the last of whom died in 1995 and I treasure them because they provide a strange link into the past when we were all living together.
But back to Christmas.
My wife and I negotiate what we want and we did the same with our two children. I got a pair of Brooks sneakers from my wife and I gave her a new Fitbit fitness tracker. There were a few extras, but nothing expensive.
That way, we got what we would have had to buy at some stage anyway and each of us was happy with our present.
Now, it's all done and dusted for another year.
All we have to do is survive New Year's Eve and we'll almost be back to normal; back on our Mediterranean eating plan and our routine that we have established since retiring.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
#Robinoz
#Netexit
