Archive for December, 2006

“I’m the Bishop of Southwark, it’s what I do“

Merry Christmas

This is the Christmas cards the boyfriend (decided not to use his first name on the blog now because his name is rather unique and we don’t want people googling him) and I made. He did all the drawing and I pasted their tummies on.

Oh and I do realise advent calendars traditionally finish on Christmas Eve but I don’t care.

Here’s some Christmas aromatherapy blends to make your rooms smell all Christmassy.

Festive News
Hola, dolly! Spain falls for a regal toy
“A doll that resembles the future heiress to the Spanish throne, La Infanta Leonor, has become Spain’s must-have Christmas present.

Such has been the fervour to buy “Leonor” dolls that some owners have taken to auctioning them on eBay for up to €200 (£134), more than three times their retail price.”

As you can see it’s quite ugly

Scrooge ‘was a victim of brain disease’

Rowdy Santas cause mayhem

“Police in Canada were called after a rowdy gang of 100 tipsy Santas caused mayhem in a shopping centre.”

The carbon costs of Christmas – “It’s not just the pounds around your waist you need to worry about this Christmas.

The average Christmas dinner for a family of four has flown nearly 85,000 to land on your plate this year. That’s the same amount of greenhouse gas as 50,000 3-bed semis produce in a year.”

Get Crafty has loads of Christmas craft projects, including presents to make if you are still stuck for ideas. After all it’s much more special to make presnts and can be environmentally friendly if you recycle. That is unless you recycle nuclear waste.

I made my own gift tags this year and wrapped presents up in recycled brown paper and tied up with string.

Are you feeling stressed rushing round store to store, battling you way through crowds to hunt for that perfect Christmas present? Then please spare a thought for the people that work in reatail who have to deal with it every day.

We’ve been gearing up to Christmas since the end of summer having to deal with deliveries of Christmas decorations and presents when we’d rather be catching the last few rays of sun before the onset of autumn. Then there’s the endless Christmas music played in the shop which drives you round the bend. Can you imagine two whole months of hearing “rocking around the Christmas tree” and Slade’s bloody “so here it is merry christmas”. Wouldn’t you go mad?

Some of us have to work late nights just so customers can shop longer, I’ve been doing shifts til 9 and 10pm. As the time gets closer to Christmas the crowds in the shop swell to ridiculous proportions and you can’t put out stock fast enough because it’s snapped up so quickly. I spent a shift at work yesterday just tidying for 7 hours because as soon as you’ve “pulled forward” (silly retail word for tidying up) and gone on to the next aisle you can guarantee it’s messed up again.

Please be polite to us working in shops (well you should be to everybody) because if you ask nicely we’re more likely to help you. If you are rude and abrupt, like shouting “feet” at me when really you meant “where’s the footcare department please?” we are less likely to show you. If you are friendly I will gladly go out of my when to track down the information you require or the product out of the back of the warehouse. Oh and please don’t hit me when I am crouching down to tidy the bottom shelf.

Winter Solstice (2), originally uploaded by mauroPPP.

Today is the shortest day of the year known as the Winter Solstice. I presumed that the Winter Solstice was only celebrated by Pagans but it turns that the solstice is part of the cultural heritage of Pakistan, Tibet, China and Native Americans.

If you really want to find out more about the Soltice religious tolerance.org has a comprehensive essay on Solstice cultural practices around the world and throughout history.

Scienceworld explains the solstice from a scientific viewpoint.

I didn’t see any of the shortest day because I was stuck working in a store so big that I don’t see the daylight all day long.

Here are some cute decorations

I just love this funky blue spotted, tin Christmas tree available at Stray Dog

This adorable hedgehog tree decoration is available from NSPCC Shop – handmade from pine cones and other recycled natural materials – £ 5.99 (sadly out of stock at the moment).

I saw this jolly snowman in a bike shop window in Chester. I love the fact that it’s quite crap really.

I’ve been hunting high and low on the internet for the perfect snowflake to use on my handmade gift tags and I stumbled across Make-a-Flake. It’s an interactive flash game which let’s yoiu snip out your own snowflake design and then save to the gallery. Very clever.

My boyfriend and I went to the cinema to see The Holiday starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black.

Plot Outline: Two women troubled with guy-problems (Diaz, Winslet) swap homes in each other’s countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.

I should have realised it was going to be a complete cheese-fest but something made me want to see a Christmassy film at this time of year. I usually prefer to watch films like Requiem for a Dream and Magnolia so maybe I’m not the best judge of a cheesy film. Well it was ok, not great, not bad. It has some funny moments and some aww moments and Jack Black was cool. This film would have been a whole lot better if I was sat at home on Christmas Eve with a box of chocolates and a cup of tea watching the film for free whilst wrapping up presents.

See this film if you like romantic cheese and/or you are 14.