Undecorating Christmas. Or the one where I try to explain why my four year old keeps telling everyone that Santa is drunk.

Undecorating Christmas. Or the one where I try to explain why my four year old keeps telling everyone that Santa is drunk.
The holidays are for catching up to family and friends and taking a break from the daily grind. We just came back from a short trip to see family out in Galway, and were lucky enough to get home in time to catch friends of ours flying back to Vienna tomorrow. I hope to see…
Maybe it’s cabin fever, or maybe it’s being slightly under the weather, but today I had to get out of the house for some undivided solitude. I love my son, but the constant demands to entertain him and play with him wear me down and make me cranky, cantankerous, and short-tempered. So I took the…
Christmas day began pretty much like any other day in this household. We gradually acquired wakefulness thanks to a restless starfished child between me and The Mister, first rolling in one direction, then another, before rolling back toward me and in a whiny whisper declaring that he’s thirsty. Or hungry. It’s usually one or the…
‘Twas the night before Christmas and everything was finally ready. The gifts were all wrapped under the tree, having multiplied at the last minute and most of them suspiciously bearing the name of Hawkeye. The cookies and the milk have been set out for Santa and carrots for Rudolph. We considered leaving an actual half-eaten…
The tree is beautiful. The lights are warm. The couch makes for a cozy corner under the shaded icicle lights in the window. There’s a colourful knitted stocking hanging from the mantle waiting for chocolate treats to be hidden inside. The presents are starting to pile up under the tree and more are waiting to…
So, I’m not very good with remembering names and faces. I’ve known this for some time. My husband and I have a long-running joke between us about my ability to see someone in a movie and be convinced that they remind me of someone who actually looks nothing like them. And if I’m introduced to…
We were in Tesco doing a very quick grocery shop for dinner on Sunday. A quick in and out. Didn’t even take a trolley, just a wire basket. Honest. So picking up a Santa dress in their seasonal clothes was one of the biggest unexpected impulse buys I’ve had in a while. I saw it in…
Even though it was Sunday, I stopped by my office yesterday to collect something as I was in the area. As a result, I got the opportunity to indulge in some Christmas mischief. I was waiting for our ride home, Hawkeye was with me, and when we walked out of the lift on our floor,…
I woke up this morning, drugged myself up to the eyeballs (safely), and managed to remain vertical for the entire day. Woo. Hoo. I am, of course, tired now. And it was a cranky, irritating sort of work day which kept me on edge most of the time, but now I’m home and there’s a…
Today we put up our Christmas tree. It’s no longer an optional seasonal whim now that we have a four year old, but an important permanent tradition we need to uphold if we want to retain our self-respecting parenting badge. Also, I like Christmas lights. What I don’t like, is trying to keep my patience…