h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Happy Christmas to all of you.

I really enjoyed Christmas. We just had the family together, chatted, and ate a bit more than usual. Ok, maybe drank a bit more than usual, too.

So nothing spectacular, but something very special. I think the older you become, the more you become aware how special times like this are. You appreciate your family more and realise they won't be there forever. Sitting around the table having a joke becomes more special.

And what made it even more special is *nobody* started an argument.

Merry Christmas Paul.

Yes, and you realise how old you are when you have six grandnieces and -nephews in the room. (But we bond over 'Doctor Who'...)

Happy Christmas!

You don't have to be old to have grand nieces and/or nephews! I've got a ten-year-old grand nephew, and I'll only be 42 on the 28th

Of course, my sister-in-law is 10 years older than me, so I was 10 when her oldest was born, and her oldest was 20 when she had J... Wait, that doesn't add up. Maybe he's 11... My point still holds, though

Many happy returns, KB.

It is so nice to hear about your peaceful and satisfying Christmas with the family, who, I get the impression, can be quite volatile.

Now it's over and we're looking forward to a great New Year's celebration (if that's not asking too much) and keeping our fingers crossed for the New Year - Happy Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Ooh, very clever use of the space smiley TC Did you copy that into a text file so you can use it again next year without having to go through all the faff of previewing it several times?

Of course I did! It looks better in goo than in Pliny, the alignment seems different.

TOWIG!

(The Only Way Is Goo )

Ooh, I might use that on my personal space

Better © and ® it

TOWIG ©® Gosho

Now, get prepared for the New Year's Eve journal where I call everybody bastardin' bawbags.

The festive tree looks right fine in Brunel ...

"New Year's Eve journal where I call everybody bastardin' bawbags."

How much can I bribe you to not call me that?

I won't, I promise.

*arrives late to the Christmas party*

we had a very quiet Christmas and tbh I've spent a lot of it worrying that I found it hard to have a conversation about anything with anyone, especially my mum, because I'm exhausted. Mentally mostly.

But it was lovely.

to all

Conversation and Christmas? In the same sentence?

My sister was complaining that she was too busy for Christmas, although she has taken the time off to stay with our mother over the holiday. Hey - I'm the one with a job and three kids, - I'm the one who's supposed to be too busy for all this.

The advantage of having 3 grown-up kids, though, is that I can come home from work, as I did yesterday, and put my feet up till food appears on the table - and not even know what the food is going to be till it's time to wash my hands and sit up.

Where was I - whoops, sorry. Derailing KB's journal.

We all have different circumstances surrounding our lives at Christmas or at any time, but I still maintain that stress is only caused by yourself. No one else has told her (or you or me) to cook 10 different vegetables and two sorts of stuffing with the roast, no one else is bothered if the serviettes don't match the table decorations, if the gift wrap on the presents is a bit skew-wiff, or if the tree isn't exactly symmetrically decorated.

Time to make New Year's Resolutions and shift a few priorities, methinks.

Ten different vegetables? That sounds like indecision. My sister-in-law usually has at least 7 or 8 veggies, but she knows that I happily take the ones that don't get eaten .

" if the gift wrap on the presents is a bit skew-wiff"

I never could wrap presents particularly well. This year, I got all my wrapping paper at the Dollar Store, so it wasn't even the best paper. But gifts get unwrapped so fast at my family's gatherings, it didn't matter anyway.

My Christmas dinner is simple - sorta. My bride likes to lead in with cheeses, crackers of various sorts, grapes. Then some mega-shrimp with a really zingy seafood sauce. A green salad follows - Caesar or iceberg lettuce with small dishes of chopped stuff for toppers (bacon, radish, green onion, mushroom, carrot, celery, etc - choose what you like)

I just cook the basics - a meat, mashed spuds, I make a mean bread stuffing suited to bird or pork, gravy from the drippings of the roast thing, and two veggies. Say, carrots or corn or peas or green beans - stuff like that. No sprouts, EVER!

Sadly, the 7-lb roast chicken this time was found to be green in the white, so all bird and gravy was tossed.