Tree’s up.

It’s the 25th of December (if the auto publish kicked in correctly) and that means for the first time in a number of years, a slightly more festive (and timely, again if the auto publish kicked in correctly) Ooh Sometimes message to be displayed to those who may have gotten bored after shopping on Amazon today for 69p toothbrushes.

Though to be honest, in a strange sort of way, I actually hope no-one is reading this because you are instead sharing the time off with the people who matter the most to you, even if that is just yourself in a bedroom eating cookie dough while watching repeats of Ugly Betty. As long as you’re happy, who cares?

In recent years, I must confess, I hadn’t bothered with writing anything for the big day itself.

The level of sarcasm and depression that always gets casually thrown out onto the screen now seems over the top for what is, for most, a far nicer time of year where you actually can put the rest of life on hold, even just for a day.

I suppose it is all too easy to let your eyes stray off the prize and become too overly concerned with the whole commercial aspect of the time of year (only compounded this year with a constant barrage of sale after sale), plus the unfortunate pressures of having to return home, sometimes over great distances to spend time with people who in some cases, you actually didn’t want to see.

Perhaps you were out all year, working all the hours just to make ends meet and all you wanted for the festive season was just an extra day off to relax and chew bubblegum. Maybe certain life events occurred which soured the season, as you aren’t able to let go of troubles past.

The older you get, the less “fun” the whole thing seems to be, and the more obvious it becomes that it’s not for you, it’s for others more than anything. More so now if you’ve reached the point of having your own children who still think a fat man wobbles down the chimney and for once will not be stealing everything not nailed down before drinking all of Daddy’s happy juice (40% abv naturally).

The other side, is that because the build up for it starts so early now, that when it arrives, it’s come and gone so quickly that then the merry-go-round begins hurriedly moving round again. You’re back in the saddle worrying about the various bills, who will pick up the sausages, and who will change my nappy?

But nevertheless, it’s a nice time where you are allowed to just forget about all the other rubbish and switch off for one day. Doesn’t seem enough, but it’s a holiday so enjoy it.

Enjoy the eating too much, enjoy the repeats of the same stories you heard last year about the time Uncle Ted fell off the donkey at the seaside and of course enjoy the getting of things you didn’t actually want or need. Enjoy the fact that people turned up at all, enjoy the solitude if you wanted it, enjoy having something decent to watch on Freeview for a change, and most of all, enjoy being content.

Because sometimes, these are moments that are priceless and may never come again. Sentimental nonsense perhaps, more in keeping with those annoying status updates on Facebook. Doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Merry Christmas you filthy b*stards! 🙂