Christmas Event

All in all it has been a good Christmas break. Granted I have been suffering from a rather ruthless sore throat but I have limited its effect by the taking of a couple drinks for medicinal purposes.

Opening the presents was fun and everyone seemed to get the type of things that made them happy. Even though I had dropped a few hints there were a few of things I wanted that didn’t appear.

Leading up to each Christmas the girls will ask what presents would I like and I answer the same every year; a bottle of port, a guitar magazine, and some chocolate brazils.

Every year without fail they reply ‘They are not real presents!’

I try to remind them that these are the things that will make me happy but it is as if I am asking for the impossible.

This year I received several guitar related items and a full box set of the Red Dwarf television series. Then, just when I was thinking that I would have to buy my own favourite things they handed me three extra presents; a bottle of port, a guitar magazine, and some chocolate brazils.

All in all a good result!

In the exciting mix of gifts we also had the customary tins of chocolates. When I was a kid the conversation leading up to Christmas was always should we buy Quality Street or Roses; the presumption being we would only have one tin for the holiday period.

As it was this year we had six different tins on offer; showing quite clearly how complicated life has become.

Back in the days of my youth we would be faced with a choice between The Morecambe & Wise Show and a James Bond movie (no real choice there).

Now we have 760 channels and still we cant find anything worth watching.

In the seventies we had to decide between only two types of lettuce (Cos and Iceberg) and a couple of kinds of tomato (Normal and Beef).

Now we have many variations of both including Lolo Bionda and On the Vine. And don’t get me started about spring onions being called salad onions.

With so much choice available to us it is a wonder that we get anything done at all in the lead up to Christmas.

I tend like things to be relatively simple; hence only asking for a few pleasures as presents.

We always tend to buy too much stuff as it is and this includes the Christmas meal; I keep reminding the family it is pretty much just a Sunday Dinner with a few extra treats.

My plan worked and we had just about everything we needed for a special family occasion.

After the openings of the gifts we consumed our food and settled down to flick through the 760 channels and compare notes on the chocolate varieties available to us.

It was the only time we argued over the holidays; maybe too much choice is not always a good thing.