It Is Christmas 2015

Where does time go? Another year just about to end! Crazy how it is a race against time to get everything organised for Christmas. So many things to be done. BUT, they are all self imposed things. That is just how things are in this family. I guess it all goes back to the days we were children and we watched how our Mother raced around to get things done. Those "things" were passed on to us. So there I am doing the things that my Mother used to do. The house needs to be super clean. Every little nook and cranny vacuumed and dusted. Then there is the garden. I do not have a very big garden but still it is quite energy sapping when I begin to trim the edges with the weed eater, especially when there is one of our famous heat waves! 36 Deg C!!! Who in their right mind does gardening in a heat wave? Hahaha...clearly I am not in my right mind...teeheehee. Then next after the edges are trimmed, the lawn gets mowed. After that I find myself on hands and knees weeding the weeds out the lawn and flower bed. And then finally I have the saw and clippers and all the shrubs and trees get a good trimming!! Then there is the baking to be done. Christmas just is not the same without my Mom's Christmas biscuits - so, two days are spent in the kitchen...again let me tell you...not a pleasant place to be in a heat wave! BUT...the baking has to be done. The Christmas tree needs to be decorated and finally last on the list...ofcourse, the Christmas gifts need to be bought, so off to the Mall I go.  By the time I have done my whole ritual my feet are aching, my back is sore and I am drained! Then Christmas Eve arrives and all the baking and gifts get packed in the car and off I go to my sister Angie. The Christmas biscuits and sweets and nuts get distributed out into the Christmas platters and the last touches are done to finish off the cooking of the Gammon, roast potatoes, rice, broccoli and cheese bake, butternut and salad and desert. We all lend a hand where needed - my sisters, Angie and Rita, my niece, Julie. This year was a really nice Christmas Eve. This year my nephew Donovan, his wife Julie and their kids, Chase and Hayden joined us. They usually go to Julie's parents in the Drakensberg for Christmas but this year they spent it with us. My little niece Jamie, went to her father for Christmas. Such a pity, it would have been super if she were there too, but, that is one of those things when there is a parent involved from a previous marriage. Sadly my sister Karin and her husband Werner and my nephews Martin and Stefan were not able to join us again. They are in Cape Town. And then finally Christmas day arrives. A glorious day where I can chill with my feet up, my nose in a good book and thinking over the year gone by. Thinking and missing those who cannot be with me on Christmas day. So, to end off on this beautiful, cool (yes, cool - we have finally had some rain and the sky is grey) day, I wish you all a FAB-ulous festive season.