Chrismassiness

FINALLY, I'm beginning to get a bit more Chrismassy now.. Since getting back from Preston, I've been ill with food poisoning. It was so bad that I actually had to have time off work for the first time in 3 years. I went home early on Monday because I was so bad and went back to work on Weds, by Friday, I was weak again. So I had the whole weekend off work so that I could be fit for this week. I could get Emma to cover me over the weekend but I can't get any cover for this week (especially leading up to Crimbo). So it was far more important that I rest up and recover fully.

As a result, I ended up missing the staff Crimbo Party. I wasn't going to go anyway, but the usual schoolyard gossip stories of who-snogged-who were relayed to me by Monday. There are photos if anyone is interested. You can see the bunch of reprobates I have to work with here. (Obviously, you click on HMV Party.) I think that since turning 30, I've become more aware of how much older I am compared to the kids at work. Some of these kids were born in 1987.. 1987!!

Anyway, taking the time off work also meant that I could finally start planning our meals for Crimbo and get shopping lists together. It was from doing this that I started to get all Christmassy. It doesn't take a load of snow, tinsel or Crimbo song sto get me going.. FOOD! That's what gets me going! I think it's also because I know that for the first time in about.. Actually, I can't remember the last time I had more than 2 days off work for Christmas. Even when I was chef-ing, I was back at work by 27th December. Hell, because of the time off, I'm even thinking of making cocktails!

So, I've been in a really Christmassy mood since Saturday.. The shopping plan is all nice and easy. Most of the stuff will be bought at the last possible moment. So the meats and most of the dairy stuff will be bought on Crimbo Eve (as usual) and in this week leading up to The Big Day, I pick up bits of veg and other stuff that can be kept for longer.

And what completely topped my Christmassy mood? When I left work tonight (BEFORE 8pm for the first time in about 5 weeks), there was the usual entertainment in the shopping centre. Nope, not the Salvation Army brass band or some junior school choir playing and singing carols. It was a GOSPEL choir singing carols. It was so good that I had to stop for 10 mins whilst they performed. When they did "Silent Night". Well, it damn near brought a tear to my eye.