No, Really, I'm Not Actually Dead....

I apologise for having been so neglectful of my Blog of late.   We got off to a good start and then in the last month, well, you know when you realise you haven't done something for a while then it just gets harder and harder to do the thing you haven't done?  Its like ringing a friend you haven't spoken to for ages - all of a sudden for no particular reason you think its all going to be awkward.  And it rarely is.  I can speak from experience here because I once lost touch with a friend for ten years.  But during those ten years I still thought of her as my best friend.  OK, I know that's weird. 

Anyway....what's been happening?  Well apparently its Christmas.  I have to be honest, I hate Christmas.  I have this belief that we should be nice to each other all year round, not just because its a particular time of year.  I loathe the way we
have it rammed down our throats, I loathe the way if I choose not to do it then everyone thinks its weird.   Its not weird to me at all - I don't have kids because I can't have them, and I think Christmas must be the most magical time of year when you have little ones to make it magic.  Even huffy teenagers would probably make it special.

Running my own business, it gets busy at Christmas and I love to see the way my customers - or rather their husbands, boyfriends and lovers are obviously choosing and buying something they hope their loved one will adore and cherish.   That I love - I love to see other people happy, even if this particular time of year holds nothing special for me - I know that it makes so many people happy, it brings people together, and that people get a chance to express how much they feel for each other.   All the other stuff, all the commercial stuff, the overeating, the enforced jollity, is just too much for me.  Although we've heard the message for years and years, particularly with the Climate Change Conference recently, isn't the message supposed to be 'Its not about getting, its about giving, its about cherishing and appreciation.'

Every year I decide I'm not going to get sucked in.  I'm not going to write cards for people I never hear from or talk to, and I'm going to make beautiful handmade gifts for all my loved ones.   Of course, then I get into the shops and I see stuff and I get them the stuff and before long I'm wrapping stuff that although I hope they'll like I'm sure they might not need.  

I've partially done it this year, I made all my girl-friends jewellery (shhhhhhh.....) and I've been particular about only buying gifts that I believe the recipient will adore, but somehow this year more than ever with the credit crunch and all, means that smaller, more relevant gifts are appropriate - I've seen small changes where its acceptable to give something that isn't judged solely by its monetary cost alone - if this worldwide financial crisis changes anything, I hope it gives us time to reflect on putting time and love into our loved ones - its not about opening wallets and whipping out our credit cards, its about giving time and love and patience, and those things are the best gifts of all.