Yesterday was lovely - the company was good, the dinner was deemed a success and the gifts were apparently welcome and well chosen (the children were delighted with their presents - the only little tiny fear I have is that we will see even less of them than we do at present, as their technology stuffed bedrooms have just been made even more attractive - but it was worth it too see the delight on their little faces... ok spotty, adolescent but adorable faces...)
But, well, is that it? All that effort for one day - all that cooking for a meal that lasted just short of an hour? I can feel the beginnings of a sense of anti-climax, and a hint of a wish that all that festive decorations and tag-end celebrations would all just bugger off and leave me to sulk.
The new year beckons and as someone married to a Scot we have usually made an effort to make the festive week last until Hogmonay but this one is going to be a bit of a stretch I think as we are staying at home - the drinkathon and stranger kissing festival that is the New Year these days in England is a wan and unpleasant celebration compared to that north of the border. There it is still about family and friends, and first footing with a bottle of whisky for company remains popular - the younger folks favour vodka and red bull for their drinks and alcopops of course, but nonetheless if you want to drink a few wee drams and have a bit of a haver with the all family it is still possible.
I guess this year we will see lots of folks attempting to get into town centres for the big old City New Year experience, but after our look at the travel provision on a recent foray into t'Big City - quite frankly I'd rather have my toes amputated with a rusty junior hacksaw than spend midnight in one of the town squares surrounded by strangers who have had one too many WKD's and now want a snog.
On a slightly different subject (slightly?) - one of my Xmas gifts was a knitting book for dogs - that is, to provide dogs with knitwear, not (sadly) to provide sweater patterns for canines who like to knit. So I have already casted on some stiches for my doggies first jumper! We have ensured that he will wear a coat by having him put on a vest of mine. He looked slightly confused - as well he might - but otherwise OK - some dogs have a horror of dogwear and will bite it off - our pup seems to have no sense of personal dignity at all (as anyone who has seen him on his back in front of the fire will testify). So poochy will hve a blue garter stitch jumper to keep his chest warm. I know it sounds ridiculous - he has fur after all, but he is very short haired for a UK dog and does not seem to like weather overmuch.
And a little tiny bit of me is thinking that he will look slightly silly in a jumper and after peeing 3 times on our dining room carpet, I think a little bit of humiliation isn't unreasonable is it? I've just had this nasty thought that those who think more of the feelings of animals than those of people, will now undertake to firebomb my house for cruelty to pets. Fuck 'em.
