There’s no mistaking it now: despite the minor disbelief that the
months have passed as quickly as they seem to have done, I’m sitting in front
of a log fire, a very smug cat by my side, watching the advertisements for toys
and shops and TV specials roll across the telly in the middle of a cheesy film
and admiring the annual appearance of our tree, wondering what on earth I’m
going to do about presents, and reuniting with friends and relatives by the dozen
on a daily basis.
Christmas has arrived!
After the routine cross-country train dash back up to the North-West, journeying through excessively large numbers of remote stations in Wales (the place names of most of which I swear are made up on the spot!), I’m now back at home again, enjoying the chance to see everybody after their own far-flung travels, and making the most of being in a building with proper central heating – a real luxury after the occasional boiler failure at the student house!
Our family Christmas tree from last year – with a feline cameo appearance!
It’s brilliant to be able to sit back, for a short while at least, and take some time off from fretting about assignments, bills and the seemingly ever-disappearing contents of the fridge, whilst also keeping in touch with my Southampton housemates and friends via social media. Some people might find home a restrictive environment after the complete independence that University grants, but I’m lucky enough to be able to find enjoyment in both – particularly before I start feeling the overwhelming need to crack on with revision for January’s exams!
So, with less than a week to go until the big day, I crave your indulgence yet again, as I list below what I’m most eagerly anticipating about Christmas 2012 in the North-West:
The scrumptious feast
Everybody loves Christmas food, and the season is such an excellent excuse to eat so much of it!
Personally I believe that the greater the quantity of brandy, the
better the pudding tastes!
THOSE Christmas records
If there’s one thing I absolutely love about this season, it’s the atmosphere created by the music – excluding a certain Mariah Carey song and a few other modern rehashes, perhaps! Sure, we all hear the same songs incessantly for a month, and by the end of the spell they’ve driven us crazy. But I suppose it’s because they’re the same songs that I enjoy them so much; we all know the words to the classics like White Christmas, Stop the Cavalry and, of course, Last Christmas, and they bring about the festive karaoke spirit in all of us, and form a very jolly ambience indeed!
The television and films
Christmas is the season when not only does my screen-watching schedule fill up with important (and, admittedly, less so!) football fixtures, but there’s almost always a wonderful show or film to view with the family as well. Jo’s already listed some of the must-sees – I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but I’m a complete sucker for Love Actually! – and there’s also usually other splendidly nostalgic offerings like Home Alone and the slightly scarier Gremlins, alongside some brilliant television programmes, many of which selflessly raise great amounts for charities and other noble causes.
The Christmas parties
... I’m not sure I need to expand on this one, particularly!
Well, it is the season of celebration, after all!
The painstaking shopping
Personally, I’m a terrible shopper, and the annual nightmare of finding everybody a gift which is fun enough to be enjoyed, whilst sufficiently practical that it might be used, consumes hours of time towards the end of the year. But at the same time, it’s always actually quite enjoyable, and very humbling to receive others’ well-wishes and benevolence on the day.
The family
Because, at the end of the day, that’s really what this all comes down to: a season of united celebration with the most important people in the world.
Despite the considerable academic requirements placed on the Christmas break revision-wise, it’s certainly the toughest spell to be doing work in given the sheer quantity of distractions!
Finally, I’d just like to wish a joyous Christmas to all my friends (with special mentions for Dimple, Hannah, Caitlin, Tim, Mo, Chris and Glynnis for their recent help!), to all my family and to all of the Life at Southampton blog readers. Thanks for all of your support throughout 2012, and I hope you have very happy and peaceful days next week.
Merry Christmas!
Robin
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