Alcoholic Robins in Christmas take over bid?

Hello,

Apologies for the lack of blog posts recently, but the call of the festive season has taken over life as it always does at this time of year.

It’s no wonder we’re all so stressed by the time we get to the 'big day' - the phrase a ‘Merry Christmas’ was obviously originally born from the copious amount of alcohol needed to keep you de-stressed on the approach to the 25th, calm during the actual day itself, and in celebratory mood post Boxing day that its all over for another year.
That makes me sound like I’m a right Scrooge – which I’m not, Christmas is a lovely time of year when all the glittery commercialism is stripped away, and you think about the true sentiment behind this annual festival, whether you’re religious or not.

This is the second year that I have chosen not to buy Christmas cards. I can see the point of sending Greetings of the Season to someone you’re not going to see, but I’ve always hated the ridiculous ritual of handing a person a card when you can just as easily wish them a Happy Christmas to their face.
Instead we donate to charity, and send as many emails greetings as possible. We still send the odd computer printed card to people we can’t contact by email or won’t see in person (a simple piece of A4 paper folded into a card and printed in Black & white with our seasonal message on it ) this is what it said this year.

100% Charity Christmas Card!
Again this year to do our bit for charity and the environment we have chosen not to buy Christmas Cards.
Instead we have donated to the NSPCC.
We wish you a peaceful Christmas and a healthy, happy, 2009.
Ali, Jim, Rosie and Tom

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/donate/donate_hub_wdh53240.html

And doing this has made me feel a whole lot better about the whole Christmas card nonsense. My husband still finds it hard to get his head around though, not sending out bits of cardboard with Snowmen grinning manically on them, and Robin’s perching precariously on every snow covered surface known to man.

Talking of Robins, why are they so popular on Christmas cards? They far out-weigh the Santas, Snowmen, and brightly lit Christmas trees covering the front of the cards that tumble through our letter box each year. As I write we have eighteen cards hanging up in our lounge, and I kid you not there are 15 robins smugly looking down at me every time I walk through the room. It’s a good job I don’t suffer from ornithophobia! (Go on - you look it up if you haven’t guessed already!)
Anyway this year I’m actually looking forward to Christmas more than I have for a number of years.

I feel as I approach the end of 2008 that I’ve actually achieved something this year.

With my writing especially – I’ve gained a literary agent, and well I’m not going to say too much at the moment in case I tempt fate, but I’ve had a bit of interest in my novel from a publisher. I must stress though that nothing is definite, and I’m re-working parts of my novel as I write. But as much as I’m starting to detest one type of bird because it’s performed a take-over bid on the Christmas card market, I’m becoming very fond of another bird that’s long been associated with publishing – a little Christmas puzzle for you there ;-)

And BIG news especially if you know me - I’ve become a brunette again!!

Yes after about seven years of being blonde I’ve finally taken the plunge and gone back to my natural brunette, and I have to say I love it! I already feel different – but I can’t really explain why? Maybe in a later blog I’ll be able to explain it better... I felt like the time was right for a change, and so I took the plunge a week last Saturday and I haven’t regretted it for a minute.

So now it’s only left for me you wish you all a very
Happy/Merry/Peaceful (delete as appropriate to you!) Christmas & a healthy and happy 2009!

Thanks for reading all my babble this year, I’ll try and do it a bit more often next year.

Until then, take care,
A x