I spied this on Multitude's blog and she tagged me to do my own. (Read her's - it's really funny.) It's not a bad idea really, given how most of us end the festive season swearing not to do such and such ever again.
So, in the run up to Christmas I swear I will:
- not attempt to renew my kids' British and US passports. We aren't going abroad in the near future and it will only bring on the inevitable breakdown. Given my track record with this type of officialdom, I will probably omit a vital piece of paper and have the whole lot sent back anyway.
- not volunteer for any more school projects. Gingerbread decorating with 18 5 year olds, and organizing a Vespers reception for about 600 people is quite enough thank you.
- make sure that we have all appropriate ski gear before we get to hideously expensive ski resort shops. (Did I mention that we are spending two weeks in Copper Mountain, adding unnecessary complications?)
- make a mental inventory of cooking equipment we have at Copper. Bloody kids are insisting on a home made Xmas dinner instead of eating out (which is easier and often cheaper.)
- not lose my list of what I've already bought for people, which usually results in me buying everyone far too many gifts
- not forget where I have hidden said gifts
- wrap everything as soon as I buy it, in the hope that if 5 year old finds anything, he might be put off opening it. Yeah right.
- remember what we told 5 year old about Santa last year, eg. he doesn't get you everything you ask for; he can still bring your presents if you don't have a chimney; mommy didn't wrap everything, she just happens to use the same paper as Santa
- renew threat to beat teenagers to a pulp if they raise their eyebrows at the mention of Santa, or do the " " marks in the air when speaking his name
- e-mail the Ball & Chain with present ideas for myself, as I have a stockpile of Body Shop body butter and don't need any more
- print off this list and live by it.
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LOL the wrapping and hiding I can totally relate too.
ReplyDeleteCome pick up your award at mine!
Amen sister! We'll have to compare notes in January!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the body butter...
ReplyDeleteHo Ho- wrap up and the five year old will leave well alone. In your dreams. Mind you , teenager was really good about poking and prodding when he was little-much better than his mum.
ReplyDeleteWish I could get wound up about Christmas this year! Seems to be arriving far to fast & I haven't got my head round it yet.
ReplyDeleteThink there'll be a last minute rush!
Mmm, I should have a go at my own version of that. At the moment my preparations for Christmas are close to zero and it is beginning to get at me, not enough however to get out and so something about it.
ReplyDeleteBetter still, e-mail the Ball & Chain with present ideas with links through to relevant site pages where he can buy the presents. A humble idea, but mine own...
ReplyDelete(then, when you still get the body butter you can beat him about the head with it and feel thorough justified. No court in the world would convict you...)
OH my goodness I stockpile the Body Shop butter too...great taste & minds think alike? Non?
ReplyDeletehere here!
ReplyDeleteNot forgetting where you hid the presents is classic -- I just did a clean out and found a bag full of kids gifts from Woolworth's from 2006!
ReplyDeletemum, good things, printed lists. When staying home during my wife's Indianapolis holidays, I make sure I don't go to the store for my weekly groceries without a carefully compiled list of items I need. I was stood in Morrison's consulting said list this July, when this guy I know came up and chortled, "Ha, I've got a list, too. What are we men like, eh?"
ReplyDeleteI looked at him pityingly, "The difference is, John, I wasn't sent here like an errand-boy, I wrote this bloody list myself! He was quite miffed (I think). ;-0
My trick is to write out a fairly long list - then leave it on the kitchen table. Mind you, these days I can just phone the house and ask someone to read it off to me!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list - made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteThe body butter makes me think immediately of my husband who bought his parents Thornton's chocolates every year for 10 years before I met him.
Like the line..."mummy uses same paper as Santa"...must remember that one!
ReplyDeleteExpat, you've put my name backwards in your link! Obviously I'm vain and looked to access my blog through yours and couldn't understand why it wasn't working. It seems that you got me as audrey-multitude when apparently I'm multitude-audrey!
ReplyDeleteSorry - it's now sorted. That's really annoying because I know I corrected it and tested it before I published. I think Blogger must have reverted to my original post when I saved it at some point. It's done that before.
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet you make this list to yourself every single year - and lose it.
ReplyDelete"not forget where I have hidden said gifts" - now who hasn't done that!