So that was Christmas 2004 # 2

In fact that was 2004 … period.

If you�??ll allow, I�??d like to give you a run down on the events of this festive season and I�??ll stick my New Years esque ravings in a post following.

So … Christmas … wow.

Stepping round the plethora of Christmas parties and drunken debauchery let me cut to the chase. Christmas was, as always, a family affair although admittedly it was the first one of my life where I didn�??t wake up at my parent�??s house. There has been a tradition for something like the past 3 years that the day begins with Champagne and as it has been, so it was.

couldn�??t find a copy.

There was then the usual business of opening presents (something that was only made interesting by virtue of the duplicate decanter debacle which I will tell you about some other time) and the annual trip to my local pub* where I soon wished I had printed the phrase �??Happy Christmas�?� on a flash card for efficiency�??s sake.

Drinks drunk and it was back to the family home for the required sitting around period whilst we waited for dinner time. My sitting around was interrupted by sprouts but not a lot else. Dinner was brilliant. For the past 3 years we have not bothered with a Turkey or Goose or other massively oversized fowl that a family of four couldn�??t possible hope to consume before it becomes a bio hazard. Instead we had fillet steak – prime Aberdeen Angus all round. Brilliant. It requires next to no cooking time (all of my family like steak on the bleu side of rare) leaving you to concentrate on doing wonderful and interesting things with vegetables.

After that I popped up to Markiss�?? place for the traditional after dinner piss-up. Highlights of this year included Junior Pictionary*** played in a way the creators never conceived and a symphony of kazoos. So Christmas ended at around 6am and damn was it fun.

Boxing day was spent chilling out and relaxing with my new book until about 3 in the afternoon when I got a call from the landlord of the before mentioned local pub asking if I was able to do a repeat performance as a bingo caller�?� Well of course I had to say yes and so once again hit the net to grab the list of Bingo calls. The calling itself was uneventful with on exception, things got a little hairy when it turned out there were 2 number 63�??s!!! Aside from that every one had a fantastic time (and won a fair ole whack of cash) and I got my drinks paid for all evening. Boxing Day ended with a party upstairs at the pub where I proved that I can�??t dance but I can drink my body weight in beer�?� erm … yeah.

And so we�??re on to New Year�??s Eve�?� yetch … for some reason I find it really hard to enjoy this evening. Maybe it�??s because I miss being with my (older) friends or maybe it�??s simply that following crimble I�??m all jollied out. The family and a few of my parent�??s friends attended the parish dinner at the St Mary�??s community centre. Tickets were £20 a head and that included some wine and a (imho) rather shoddy buffet. I abandoned the buffet and drunken dancing to Abba at around 11:30 and made my way over to the pub to see in the new year in my smoke filled, dingy little home from home�?� and had a great time from there on in. Not too sure what happened after that but I probably restated me lack of dancing / success in drinking abilities and managed to make it home without making a total dick of my self.

That was it, that was my Christmas. For those who are even remotely interested my pressies included:

• The West Wing Season 4 – rocks … no really, it kicks ass!!! In fact I think I�??ll watch it again – brb
• (12 hours later) Where was I? Oh yeah, pressies. The Return of the King – special extended edition … all 4 hours of it – also rocked – not going to watch it again until I can arrange the LOTR marathon
• Clothes
• Chocolate!!!
• No less than 3 calendars – I�??m not sure I�??ll ever need to be that organised
• Some other stuff

If I didn�??t get round to it before then please allow me to wish you all a belated very Happy Christmas and a brave New Year.

R

*I�??m not too sure why I still refer to this as my local pub given that I now live 3 miles** away from it.

** Yeah I know that may not seem like a lot but I live on an island that�??s 9 miles by 6 – you have to keep these things in perspective.

*** It was meant to be adult Pictionary but we