CHRISTMAS!

I had a Christmas celebration earlier this week. You may not have noticed, but it was CHRISTMAS DAY on Tuesday-it happens every year at about the same time.

I went to my mum's on Christmas Eve, and we both went over to my sister's on the day itself. She moved house a couple of months back, so she wanted to host it. Which was nice. I had plenty of time to get ready to get over to my mum's, but I still ended up not getting there until the evening (partly because I started writing the last post I put up). And then I started wrapping the presents. My mum was also wrapping presents as well, so I'm not the only one. I knew I would be able to do it in time, and I really needed an idea on how to wrap some of the more awkwardly shaped ones. As usual, my mum had an answer, and the answer was boxes. Which she had plenty of-or at least enough.
And then, all too soon, it was the day itself. I got up late, which will surprise no-one, so there wasn't really much time to do much before we went over there. I was supposed to help my sister move a couple of months ago, but due to circumstances the moving date got changed, and so this was the first time I'd seen her new place. Which was also nice. It was a very nice place (still is, in fact), and we had a very nice day. My niece tried to get me playing 'hangman' with her and show me her dolls from 'Monster High' at the same time. They include a vampire, a werewolf, a ghost, Frankie Stine and Abi Nominal (a yeti) among others. Not what I was expecting from her, I have to say. Christmas dinner came soon after, which was good, as I hadn't really had breakfast due to getting up late, and then the rest of the day was a mess of crackers and pud and present opening and playing with presents and 'Bop It'-pretty much all at the same time, it seemed. and it was, in general, a very nice day for all concerned. I went back to my mum's and read for a bit and then went to bed. I got up even later on Boxing Day, and didn't really do much all day. Which was nice. I got dropped off by my mum in the evening, as I had to work the next day. So that was my Christmas-which actually was a lot more enjoyable than I make it sound, honestly.

And this in turn, made me think of some things. This was a pretty normal Christmas for me, though usually with a bit more church involved somewhere, but now and again I kept seeing people for whom their experience was anything but 'normal. My flatmate, for instance, was home alone on Christmas Day-what was it like for him? Some chinese people I passed in the street-what was Christmas like for them? A Big Issue seller I spoke to, who lives in a tent-what was Christmas like for her? And the people in the takeaway I went earlier this evening or the Tesco just below me-what was it like for them? I don't know how to answer these questions, maybe I never will; but maybe I should. But at least, I should remember that the questions are there.