CAN you believe we are in December, seriously, where does the time go?
It seems like it was only a few days ago I was swooning in the heat and yet here we are dodging downpours and trying rather unsuccessfully to get the flat warm. Day times are okay but as soon as that sun dips the temperature falls dramatically.
I had no idea Iโd have to cover my kitchen window with plastic to stem the icy draft. What with several power cuts leaving me with no hot water and having to sleep in thick pyjamas and woolly bed socks plus waking up in the middle of the night because my nose is so cold.
Itโs all very well saying how much colder Iโd be if I was still in England because there Iโd have the luxury of wonderful things like central heating that can stay on all night, double glazing to keep the heat in and lovely soft carpets. Every morning my partner and I draw lots to see whoโs going to be the โluckyโ soul who has to be brave enough to go into the arctic zone that is my kitchen and make our first cup of tea. Once the little bedroom heater has started doing its thing I then have to wipe the dripping condensation off my windows and wait until the thaw has set in before getting dressed. This is the stuff of my childhood, when youโd get dressed in front of the fire that my poor mother had got going. Talk about pathetic Iโm ashamed of myself, I had no idea Iโd become so cossetted. Mind you itโs not how Iโd imagined it was going to be when I moved to sunny Spain. Of course itโs lovely once the sun is fully up and shining then all is forgiven and forgotten until the sun sets later and it all starts up again!
I digress however, letโs get back to time whizzing by. The onset of Winter can, of course only mean one thing, Christmas. As an adult Iโll be honest, Iโve never really liked Christmas, by which I mean the ludicrous circus that is all of December. ย Spending money I really canโt afford on people I hardly know to buy them things they donโt want wasnโt doing it for me. Plastic reindeers, awful songs, hoping for the snowfall that never comes, you get my drift. The news was always full of the fact that shops were panicking that spending was down harming the economy yet personal debt was up, for goodness sake the whole thing seemed ridiculous. Since moving here however, and this will be my second Christmas, I have to say my joy in it has started to be rekindled. You can buy decorations that relate to the Nativity, the day itself is not about what presents you get but being together and seeing loved ones. It all seems less frantic and manic, itโs softer, kinder and for me far more enjoyable. Picking out little thoughtful gifts rather than hoping Iโve spent enough to match what I receive is so much more fun. Throw in the fact that there actually was snow this week, (I could see it from my roof, it really wasnโt very far away) things are definitely looking up. Iโve bought a little tree and am making my own decorations from fir cones and twigs so that they can be recycled afterwards. ย Iโm having friends round and have been invited along to various things, itโs all good and Iโm actually truly looking forward to it.
Whilst on the subject I would like to ask you all a little favour, please ensure that if you know someone that lives alone please check they have somewhere to be on the day. Yes it is just another day but itโs not one anyone should spend alone if theyโd rather not, ask them along, one more around the table will hardly be noticed but itโll probably mean the world to them and isnโt that what itโs all about?
Feliz Navidad, one and all.
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