Staff Reporter
CAN you believe we are in December, seriously, where does the time go?
It seems like it was only a few days ago I was swooning in the heat and yet here we are dodging downpours and trying rather unsuccessfully to get the flat warm. Day times are okay but as soon as that sun dips the temperature falls dramatically.
I had no idea I’d have to cover my kitchen window with plastic to stem the icy draft. What with several power cuts leaving me with no hot water and having to sleep in thick pyjamas and woolly bed socks plus waking up in the middle of the night because my nose is so cold.
It’s all very well saying how much colder I’d be if I was still in England because there I’d have the luxury of wonderful things like central heating that can stay on all night, double glazing to keep the heat in and lovely soft carpets. Every morning my partner and I draw lots to see who’s going to be the ‘lucky’ soul who has to be brave enough to go into the arctic zone that is my kitchen and make our first cup of tea. Once the little bedroom heater has started doing its thing I then have to wipe the dripping condensation off my windows and wait until the thaw has set in before getting dressed. This is the stuff of my childhood, when you’d get dressed in front of the fire that my poor mother had got going. Talk about pathetic I’m ashamed of myself, I had no idea I’d become so cossetted. Mind you it’s not how I’d imagined it was going to be when I moved to sunny Spain. Of course it’s lovely once the sun is fully up and shining then all is forgiven and forgotten until the sun sets later and it all starts up again!
I digress however, let’s get back to time whizzing by. The onset of Winter can, of course only mean one thing, Christmas. As an adult I’ll be honest, I’ve never really liked Christmas, by which I mean the ludicrous circus that is all of December. Spending money I really can’t afford on people I hardly know to buy them things they don’t want wasn’t doing it for me. Plastic reindeers, awful songs, hoping for the snowfall that never comes, you get my drift. The news was always full of the fact that shops were panicking that spending was down harming the economy yet personal debt was up, for goodness sake the whole thing seemed ridiculous. Since moving here however, and this will be my second Christmas, I have to say my joy in it has started to be rekindled. You can buy decorations that relate to the Nativity, the day itself is not about what presents you get but being together and seeing loved ones. It all seems less frantic and manic, it’s softer, kinder and for me far more enjoyable. Picking out little thoughtful gifts rather than hoping I’ve spent enough to match what I receive is so much more fun. Throw in the fact that there actually was snow this week, (I could see it from my roof, it really wasn’t very far away) things are definitely looking up. I’ve bought a little tree and am making my own decorations from fir cones and twigs so that they can be recycled afterwards. I’m having friends round and have been invited along to various things, it’s all good and I’m actually truly looking forward to it.
Whilst on the subject I would like to ask you all a little favour, please ensure that if you know someone that lives alone please check they have somewhere to be on the day. Yes it is just another day but it’s not one anyone should spend alone if they’d rather not, ask them along, one more around the table will hardly be noticed but it’ll probably mean the world to them and isn’t that what it’s all about?
Feliz Navidad, one and all.
