It's that time of year again - when the house is strewn with tinsel, tacky festive jumpers and t-shirts are excused (and almost obligatory - I'm wearing one right now) and idiot-drivers flood the streets in search of a last minute bargain buy.
Yesterday, I had the misfortune of having to make the dreaded trip to the local shopping centre (I picked the smaller one, thinking it would be safe) for those last minute fresh food items that could not be purchased earlier. Ha, big mistake!
The aisles were seething with grumbling shoppers. Like ants, they swarmed and crowded me in, suffocating me. My head span. My heart raced (and not in a good way). I struggled to breathe. My darling Dearheart braved the lines, purchased the required items, scooped me up and drove me home.
Panic attacks suck!
Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. It wasn't to blame. I'd thought the local shops would be safe. Less crowds.
How wrong could I be?
I consoled myself with a (free) massage and am now safely ensconced at home and won't be surfacing again until Wednesday at the earliest.
The tree is trimmed. The annual influx of Haighs' Christmas baubles and chocolate bells have been hung. The presents wrapped (I'm not allowed to touch any of the boxes in case I guess what they are... sigh).
It's Christmas Eve - time to relax and enjoy. This year I've endeavoured to start a new family tradition - taking a page from the exceptional peoples of Iceland: jólabókaflóð ( the Christmas Book Flood). On Christmas Eve they exchange books and spend the rest of the night reading and eating chocolate. Oh, bliss!
From now on this will be our Christmas Eve tradition.
On Christmas Day, we'll celebrate by attending church. We'll have a leisurely lunch, phone all the rellies interstate and watch the Christmas episodes of as many TV shows we can find in our DVD library. It's tradition!
Thank goodness the heat is holding back until later in the week!
Boxing Day is also a public holiday here, and what better way to celebrate than with Doctor Who? (Only two more sleeps!) This year we have a new Doctor. We'll be recapping with a marathon viewing of this year's season. And filling up on leftovers, no doubt.
How do you celebrate the Christmas season?
I'm lucky to have a loving family, a roof over my head and good friends. And I wish you, Dear Reader, such happiness. Enjoy the festive season - no matter how you celebrate it. It's been a long year. We all deserve a little joy in our lives.
So, to you all: I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
And so does Viola.
Photos and art: ©2017 Karen Carlisle.
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