Friday, December 29, 2017

Christmas Round Up

As ever, after the long months of build up to Christmas at work, the hectic and exhausting sprint through the last couple of weeks as we sell, sell, sell, and the all to brief few days off, it's hard to believe it's all over. About now I'm normally focused on a trip back to Scotland for New Year, a bit of family time, and general unwinding. Unfortunately we're no longer allowed to take holiday in the first week of January, I'm not happy about this for a few reasons (it makes it very difficult to get any time off with my partner for a start), but mostly it's the general unwinding.

I say this every year, but retail really sucks the joy out of Christmas. People can be horribly rude, but what really bothers me is the over consumption - we sold about 30 tons of booze in the week before Christmas, it's a lot of bottles and a lot of money. The chances are it's also a lot of over extending or outright debt - and for what (apart from keeping people like me in work)? I keep deleting the things I'm thinking here on the grounds that nobody wants an anti capitalism rant from someone who may well just have flogged them a bottle of very expensive champagne - but my current mood is exactly why I need some time off to regain a sense of perspective.


Meanwhile I was lucky enough to be given some generous and lovely gifts, including some excellent books, I have Christmas cake to look forward to every night I get home (it may well see me through to lent), the tree is still up and looking suitably jolly, and there's a lot to be grateful for.

I've mostly been rereading books that were childhood favourites (The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Dark is Rising particularly) and enjoying them, and am making tentative reading plans for next year. My old years resolution should probably be to finish a couple of half read books before midnight on Sunday (I'm especially looking at you Zola...) There are also knitting plans, and other things to look forward to as life slips back into a less festive routine.

8 comments:

  1. What a beautiful cake! I have enjoyed reading all your Christmas pairings, plenty of food (and drink!) for thought.

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    1. Thank you, I love doing those posts, they're great fun to research. I also love decorating the Christmas cake - it's such a calming thing to do in the middle of all the less calming stuff.

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  2. I'm sorry you don't get your usual post-holiday time off this year. Hopefully you can plan something nice and relaxing early in the New Year. Perhaps everyone's 2018 resolution will be to consume less (but hopefully focus on quality to keep you employed!) and your next holiday season won't be as frustrating!

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    1. My father hates Christmas, the older I get the more like him I become! The things I've mentioned here are the niggles, which I'm was bothered about now I've written about them. There's quite a lot of thinking about people who are no longer with us - it's such an emotionally fraught time, hence the possible over reaction about the holidays. On the up side I'm off to Vienna for a few days at the end of January which will be wonderful and exciting.

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  3. Having been brought up in a small corner shop which sold just about everything except alcohol, I know just what you mean about the exhaustion. Christmas Day was mostly spent dozing in front of a fire except when we got up to answer the door to customers who had managed to forget something vital. Living behind the business had its bad points! Do try and get some sort of break, especially as the winter is going to seem so much longer after all this early snow.

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    1. I don't mind winter at all - quite happy with dark nights and bad weather (though both are better when you're indoors) but it is a time of year that demands you slow down a bit to get the most out of it. Your parents were clearly local heros who helped build a proper community- which is something to celebrate. I hope they were appreciated! I'm just one of the many who struggle with Christmas, but whinge over, it's time to look forward and get on with it!

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  4. I am retired but worked my whole career in libraries, so I didn't see any of that over consumption at work, as you do in retail. I hope you enjoy your time off when it arrives. What a pretty cake that is.

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    1. Thank you for the cake comment! I used to enjoyed the buzz of retail at Christmas, but less and less every year as people just seem to get grumpier, margins tighter, and things generally harder. But every job has its stresses, and I'm grateful that I don't deal with worse. The over consumption this year has been hard to balance against seeing more and more people sleeping rough in my way to and from work, and just generally feeling out of balance. I really will enjoy my week off when it comes.

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