The run up to Christmas.

This has been a really fraught couple of weeks. We had quite a bit on anyway, and then I got some sort of bug which laid me out for three days. So now my preparations are all behind. It all gets done in the end, and if it doesn’t get done no one notices except me, so I don’t know why I’m worried.

I’ve been to see younger grandson as a person living in Bethlehem who visited baby Jesus, and older grandson as a wise man, with a turban and a huge moustache, so that I had trouble identifying him to begin with. They both were really good and I was proud of them. There’s something about nativity plays and young children which still brings a lump to my throat, in spite of sitting through so many of them.

I’ve painted four huge pine cones I brought back from the Sierra de Gredos, in June, and hung them up with ribbon to disguise the  eyelets they’re hung from, and I’ve nearly finished making a string of fabric sort of flags, using different colours of Christmas material and a bit of gold satin. They’re all sewn with beads and I’m very pleased with them, but I’m a bit worried that I’m turning into Kirsty Allsop, so I’ll stop with the home made Christmas stuff now.

Eat your heart out, Kirsty.

I’ve brought the little tree in the pot on the balcony inside and decorated it – it hasn’t grown much since last year, which is good – and assembled the big artificial tree and decorated it. Assembling it is the most tedious job imaginable, but I enjoy decorating it – at least, I do once I’m sure the lights are working.

We’ve been out to the dairy at Long Clawson to buy the half Stilton. They always have the latest flavours on the counter to taste. There was a gingery one which was nice, but by the time we’d got the Stilton, some white Stilton with cranberries, and some mature proper Red Leicester, we decided we had enough. The amaretto and raisins was too sweet, and so was the Christmas pudding cheese.

I’ve done the Christmas cards, and only once been caught out by a card from someone to whom I hadn’t sent one (so far!) And I’ve done most of the shopping and avoided Amazon. I’m quite proud of that. Blackwell’s do books on line, where you have an excellent selection and can get second hand and out of print books, so it’s not been too difficult. I never go near Starbucks anyway, the buckets of warm milk masquerading as coffee see to that, but how to avoid Google?  It’s got to be my project for the New Year, even if it means the end of the blog. Which is sad, because I’ve enjoyed writing it. But I am very conscious that anyone can read it so I have to be careful what I say, particularly about others, even though I’ve very few readers!

The best bit so far was the older grandson telling his mother that he didn't believe in Father Christmas. She warned him not to say anything to his little brother, and then asked, who did he think brings his stocking? Very seriously, he replied that he'd been thinking about that, and had decided it was the government.