Balls and Tinsel!

Well it's that time of the year again when we shake off the tree and fill it with balls and tinsel and hope the fat old man in a red suit leaves us something under it for our yearly efforts. This part of the world warms up and the other part cools down and we all think of the good and the bad times past. No amount of shaking the boxes produces that Prada handbag or Jimmy Choos that I have wished for in years gone by and this year I guess will be much the same. I too will enter the land of gastronomical madness and produce a euro styled hot banquet of turkey and baked ham fit for a queen, punctuated with custard drowned pudding. I will no doubt drink my weight in champagne, pausing briefly to rest my stomach before re-emerging to inhale what is left over. Christmas is my favourite time of the year, a period where many of us gather together to celebrate what it is to be human in this consumer obsessed planet we call earth. It's the thought that counts they say, but who of us would scowl at a box of Chanel or a Gucci watch with a diamond or two.

Of course we do encounter the odd scrooge or two on our travels who spit and splatter about how vile it all is and how we should somehow feel guilty for just having a good time. Take no heed to these nay sayers and party poopers who relish any chance to ruin someone’s happiness, they are just there to remind us of how not to act and challenge us to have fun in spite of their efforts. Park your clown car of fun where ever you like this silly season and surround yourself with family and friends and enjoy the month that ends with presence of mind and the presents you find. Drape your life with a sparkle and a smile, never wane from joyful desire. Spare a thought for those less fortunate, the sick and lonely without family and open your heart to those on a limb. Many a Xmas orphan has found their way to my home in years gone by and I delight in sharing the day and all it has to offer with them. Finally when all else fails, the tinsel disintegrates and your tree falls apart and no amount of turkey or ham fills your hole, just think of the gift of the life you've been given and turn all your thoughts into gold. Most of all, may my wish come true, I hope you have a Merry Christmas.

Copyright © Robyn Whittaker. 2010