Doesn't it bring a glow to your heart...

Back when I was a "working" girl, I'd spend long, leisurely lunchbreaks pottering round the West End department stores, hunting down the "perfect" gift for my unsuspecting relatives. Then the last two days would be spent in a frantic scurry round splashing out on anything lavish for those who'd been hard to buy for... which was usually most of them, bless their hearts!

But now I'm a lady of leisure, with only 3 "little" part-time jobs, 5 kids, a husband and a house to look after, I'm confronted by the facts of life:-

•   the budget has shrunk as the family has grown
•   the time available for shopping has done the same
•   annual semi-bankruptcy has nothing whatsoever to do with the baby in the simple-but-adequate stable - it's not part of His plan for us at all!

So now I start collecting presents in the January sales (and usually lose them well before next Christmas!), start the Christmas cards in September, (and finish on Dec 24th,) finish wrapping at 3 a.m. on Dec. 25th and swear every year I'm going to be more organised! Somehow vast supplies of booze & snacks have given way to simple, straightforward fresh food, and a bottle or two of supermarket plonk and homemade sloe gin. And as we all sit round the festive fire, wondering who will be first to suggest a game of "Charades" or "Killerwink", we wouldn't have it any other way!

Resources...

   The Dollar Stretcher - interesting article from this excellent US "Frugal" resource.

   Christmas in Cyberspace a collection of links for those who'd like to remember what it's really all about...

   ComputerMoneyMakers.com - a US based wealth of ideas for crafting etc. (some of the special offers etc. won't apply on this side of the Pond)

Back to Celebrations...