Why, I do believe it's beginning to look a lot like ...
That said, a handful of my decorations still aren't up, and I still have cards to write and presents to wrap.
Think I may well be in Christmas denial. It's all too soon and I'm not ready and I keep having to divide my day up into slots of time to get stuff done and AAAAAARGH! Need mulled wine. NOW.
 |
| {Not for the first time, this gif sums up my feelings!} |
It'll all be fine.
Right?
This week, I have mostly been ...
Well, you read the sneak preview last week, it did actually pan out very much like that, but with a few happy interludes to break up the threatened monotony. Such interludes included ...
Reading
Three chapters in, and I'm still waiting for her to stop wittering about how she alphabetised her socks in infant school, thus leading to her career in tidying, and for her to stop seeming to consign all women to a life of housewifery -- c'mon, Kondo, bring on the magic. I just want to know how to keep stuff neat and thus change my life, 'K?
Stocking up on seasonal (and nostalgic) vinyl
Oh, British Red Cross shop, you brazen temptress, you. I pop in, in the hope of scooping up a singular, quintessential piece o' vintage Christmas and come away with:
 |
| {The album on the left is Carols from Westminster Cathedral, 1976} |
For the record (pun intended, probably), NOW 11 was added to this number yesterday. I can't help myself.
Listening ...
... to this beautiful a cappella cover of 'Mary, Did You Know', performed by Pentatonix. It's actually magic. With thanks to Glenda for sharing this:
And while we're at it, here's Home Free's a cappella arrangement of 'Do You Hear What I Hear' (thanks to Charlie's dad Doug for the link). Singing in caves is the way forward. Natural acoustics. Magical.
Watching
... these Christmas classics on Netflix*
while writing the Christmas cards. Seems appropriate. (Until the greetings descend along the lines of, Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.)
* and by the way, am I the only person in the modern Western world oblivious to the cool kids' definition of 'Netflix and chill'?! Apparently it's a rude one. Why must everything be rude?! Why can't 'Netflix and chill' just mean, relax after a fairly emotionally-gruelling week with back-to-back 30 Rock?! Eh?! (Well, anyway, Natalie has set me straight on that one and I won't make that mistake again ...)
Enjoying the first official turkey dinner of the season ...
... at the departmental Christmas lunch at The Castle, Holland Park (I'll overlook the fact my one small glass of red was £6.50 -- London, seriously, get over yourself -- whole bottles of wine in Sainso cost less than that).
It was rather delicious, granted:
 |
| {That would be a mini Christmas pud swimming in custard. Yes.} |
and there was a fun quiz afterwards, written by workmate Mara, with a controversial Where's Wally tie-breaker round that quite frankly robbed my team blind (we were doing so well up until then!).
My secret Santa also excelled herself ... I mean, himself ... I mean ... (thanks, boss!):
I then had to navigate the laughable, disintegrating overpriced, poorly-run Southern network and hop twice as many trains as usual (train to Clapham, train to Croydon, train to Deadhill, train to Rahgate) to get to the last choir of term where we dun did a bit more ...
Singing
... to Voicerox friends and family. With thanks to Jude this time for the photos (and the video of Anyone Who Had a Heart which I can't post, but to which I plan to sob hormonally for the next couple of days just to get it out of my system).
 |
| {"take me in their arms and love me too ... whoooo ..." | Photo by Jude} |
 |
| {Poor Charlie was consigned to prop up the music stand with her nose. The things we Deskettes have to do ... | Photo by Jude} |
This was then followed up by an impromptu treat of a detour to McDonald's drive-thru with my Lovelies for processed carbs and excellent therapy. Much needed, thank you, girls. xxx
Beginning to animate!
Not to give too much of the game away but here's a cheeky sneaky smidge of what I've been working on in my -- ha ha -- spare time in between finally writing my cards, putting up decorations in very sporadic intervals whilst grooving to the very earnest Andy Williams Christmas album, doing the laundry, writing this-'ere blog, and fighting my way in and out of the soulless capital on trains that won't even ... (wow, can you tell I need a break?):
HA! Yes, that's all you get. Sorry. No spoilers here!
Incidentally, the sharp-eyed among you may have spotted -- before scrolling down to find your names mentioned in the post, gnarf gnarf -- a new feature in the right-hand column of this blog page, which is a Pages link:
It's in development (as in, I've got no clue how to best capitalise on the Pages function per se) but for now I've set up a separate page on which you lucky people can view the Christmas animations I've created for the last couple of years.
Because I'm odd like that.
You're so welcome.
Pinterest Pin of the Week
Y'know, my completely lovely Lovelies have sent me so many brilliant and motivational Pins this week (thanks, Jos and Charlie) that it's nigh-on impossible to choose just the one 'of the week'. So I won't. Here are two delicious pearls of wisdom, and a picture of David Bowie in the here and now(ie) that I can't stop looking at for it is beautiful:
 |
| {Sigh ...} |
Weekly Web Finds
- 48 Things Women Hear In A Lifetime (That Men Just Don't) | on HuffPost Women | via Eloise
- Why we have to create more disabled characters in children's fiction | Susie Day on The Guardian | via Toy Like Me on Facebook
- Sad times: Library visits fall 14% in five years | Please use your libraries or you'll lose them, folks | on The Bookseller
I've been neglecting blog reading for blog writing lately, which is sad because where else will I get my inspiration? But I had an allotted fifteen minutes a) to recover from shopping in the Co-op where personal space is apparently luxury, not a necessity, and b) for blog-scanning, and I came across the video, above on A Beautiful Mess and it made me smile ergo, blog fodder.
Er, and that's it, really, on that front.
Right, s'pose I'd better channel my inner drudge and do a little of this sort of thing:
albeit in front of something Christmassy -- maybe this one:
or maybe the slightly less obviously Christmassy film but still very festive in most parts, and always marvellous:
 |
| {Oh, see, now, that's festive ...} |
And lest I forget ...
 |
| {And if you don't know what this film is I don't think we can be friends. Sorry.} |
Before I shuffle off, though, I should warn you that yet again due to my pressing schedule of eating, singing and driving home for Christmas {cue gratuitous plug of own creative genius}, there will be no Summary next Sunday:
but do keep your eyes peeled for the Monday Missive. (Which I will try to post before 10pm but no promises ... I'll be on Ma and Pa QB time this time next week.)
It's just how things go, this time o' year and I thank you for Bearing With.
Stay warm, stay safe, stay epic. And be good. Santa Claus knows if you've been baddity-bad.
 |
| {Santa Claus: The Movie | Can ya believe this film is thirty years old this year?} |
