Ho Ho Ho…. Mayhem
Michelé White
Well! What do you know?! Its that time of the year again. I’m not sure about you, but seriously, whilst we murmur amongst ourselves at how quickly this year has gone by, on a personal note, this year has whizzed by and I feel like I’m reeling in its vortex. It has been an interesting and a busy year to say the least.
But overall, I am actually very pleased with the decisions I’ve made this year. I wanted to go on my own and do my own thing, which I’ve done and I have learnt so much! I seriously didn’t know how much I didn’t know!
Anyhow, moving on. Let’s not forget the foibles that December brings along with it. For one, coastal towns have an influx of Vaalies and their erratic driving abilities. No dahlings… you can’t just ‘‘pull in my cousin and take over’’.
The frame of mind here at the coast is relaxed and the pace at which we carry out the mundane is a little more sloth-like compared to the Jozi vibe. Before you all get horribly offended and get your knickers in a twist, I am an ex-Jozi lass and have vivid memories of the frenetic pace of living…. Hence moving!
The Joys Of Christmas
Which brings me to why you, the dear reader is reading this ditty. On the off chance you haven’t noticed the decorations and melodic BoneyM tunes emanating form the malls, it turns out Christmas is fast approaching. In all honesty, Christmas is approaching a tad too quickly for my liking.
December is quite a torrid time and thankfully, we are a really small family and do not have to compete with traditional Christmas lunch including trimmings et al. I do have memories of putting together ‘the list’ of who to invite for lunch and not seat this one next to that one because of some spat that happened twenty centuries ago.
Now, I am not one for the malls and will avoid a shopping spree at any cost. Can I just say long live online shopping – like seriously! Online shopping really is the best thing since sliced bread.
There’re no queues or being forced to wait at the cashier whilst the person who’s paying suddenly forgot an item in isle 8999. Then there’s the person who just stands and stares at the array of choices beholding them only to pick up every other bottle of whatever they think they need and put it back on the shelf. I mean really. Really!
Someone Mention Shopping?
Not to mention the mad rush on the 24th December because, well, you know how it goes, you just popped into the shops to buy organic apple sauce for the gammon, but decided you actually needed the entire trolley filled with groceries – just in case.
People become a bit wild and forget how to function – have you noticed this? Everyone seems to lose their sense of humour and get irritated. Secretely, I used to wish I was back in the office at work – at least it was quiet and orderly and if there was a bit of last-minute chaos, it generally made sense.
So, after all this mayhem, when the day is done, and the guests have left with their bellies full of festive cheer, it turns out to be quite a hefty price tag you’re left with.
That thirteenth cheque we all worked for felt like it was used to feed the family and buy pressies. What about school uniforms and stationery. I guess that’s the reason for the credit being so severely battered then and January feeling akin to three months.
Delegate That Christmas Lunch
Back in my much younger days, a few friends decided to put an end to this madness and started delegating as to who was going to bring what treats to feast on.
This was a grand idea and became very popular until some of us moved away or couples split up. Perhaps it was all the stress from Christmas that led to these break ups; who knows… The same rule of thumb applied to buying gifts. There was a set limit and if you went over the limit, you had the wrath of the Tequila punisher to contend with.
In all honesty though, this delegating and putting a firm lid on spending worked wonders. Nobody felt ripped off and everyone received a gift on Christmas day.
In essence, Christmas has changed, and family dynamics have changed too. The purse strings are pulled tighter each time our Finance Minister/s make an utterance and I believe it’s prudent to downscale around this crazy time. Opt for delegation and don’t feel like Scrooge if you ask a relative or friend to contribute. Christmas is after all a time of giving, so ask people to lend a helping hand.
So, go on, prosper and be merry.
Tis the season to be jolly after all.
