So, I had a nice Christmas. Quite a quiet one, but really lovely with nice food (not too much), mulled wine (not enough) and presents that were useful, practical, and indulgent by turns - but all very much appreciated :D

I missed Doctor Who. I was doing a 1000 piece jigsaw with my family, and completely forgot to watch it! This is a definite reversal of using TV to escape from family squabbles, when I was younger. I may sometimes still feel every bit the teenager when around my parents, but not always; this Christmas was just... convivial and civilised and relaxed. Wow.

The loft is now insulated! And bowline71 is a saint.

Stella has a serious lack of appetite supression. She refuses to believe she could ever be full, and so is constantly scavenging. I found her digging into the big bag of kibbles today, so everything has now been stashed away. It's not as though she'll ever have that "OMG" moment and descend into a shame spiral of contrition and self-loathing and eventual acceptance of her problem, because she is a cat. It's gotta stop, or she'll end up like Winnie the Pooh, stuck in the cat-flap and having to fast before she can come loose. Beba, meanwhile, is losing weight, which is good.

That's about it, really. Tomorrow, musicspam will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, have a picture of my Christmas tree!

( Lookit! )

Although I get quite cynical about certain aspects of Christmas, it's hard to be completely divorced from the whole process. I think that maybe I just wish it didn't start in September - then there wouldn't be the feeling of burnout come December; instead, Christmas could be a little bit magical - a time to enjoy the act of getting together with family and friends, eating too much, and - in the quiet sleepy times when everyone has gone to sleep and you're just about to - reflect a little on time passing.

Cross a few dreams off the To Do list (either achieved or now deemed unattainable); add a few more in their place.

It's always nice to take stock, I think, and I don't do it nearly as often as I should. It's so easy to Drift; as long as the bills get paid, why worry too much about the direction life's going? Put everything on Direct Debit, and it's all done for you. Life seems a bit like that sometimes. Automatic transactions: meetings, conversations, appointments, visits - all ticking over nicely until you look at the statement at the end of the year and struggle to remember where all your time was spent.

This year, for example, has been a good year for me. I've found a job that I love, moved to a completely new part of the country (which I now love), and bought a house. And most of the time I expend energy feeling stressed about money and continuing to keep myself and others happy at work, and trying to be happy in my life outside work. So it's nice to look back on it all, as I'm writing this, and say "Good job, Self. That was nicely done."

So that's why I'm fond of Christmas, in my own way. New Year is possibly the traditional time to reflect on such things, but before you know it, it's January. It's nice to start some things early. Although September is pushing it slightly.

However you tackle the holiday period, I hope you, too, are having a happy/fun/peaceful/reflective time of it!