1. Tree now up, with constant playing of "Christmas" themed CDs
2. Tesco this morning was a nightmare of panic shopping and people waving charity collection tins at me. All the shop assistants dressed up in "amusing" costumes 
3. Bloody carol service tonight
4. Another bloody carol service tomorrow
5. Crap: paper, bits of glittery stuff, sticky tape and god know what else everywhere
6. Paper today full of "reviews of the year". I have just managed to survive 2007, thank you, I don't need any more reminders about it.
7. People being falsely jolly, or trying to be
8. Raffles
9. Boring round robin letters from people we haven't seen in years "Samantha has a new pony, Richard is enjoying his scouting..."
And christ, what's worse is even I got infected. I NEVER buy gammon. Till this morning! 
1) Offered Children a "treat" this morning ~ "Shall we buy a new tree and put it up before Mummy gets back from Grandma's? ~ Resounding NO! and tears because "it's not the same without Mummy here"
2) I shop on line, 'specially at this time of year ~ just to avoid such nonsense.... life is too short for supermarket trips.
3) I refuse to attend all carol concerts ~ but 'specially those connected with schools.
4) See three above
5) House always looks like that but I have been tidying up in her absence
6) Refuse to buy newspapers, apart from the free one once a week, that does to light the fires. Get all news from Radio and Internet
7) I am not falsely jolly ~ I am pissed off big time with the whole thing and tell every one so.
8 ) My money stays in my pocket ~ go pester someone else with your Christmas Raffles. Bah Humbug etc.
9) Hand all card carrying envelopes, unopened, to Mrs S and sing loudly as she tries to read me the "news". I am not interested. If people can't communicate with me more regularly than once a year they can piss off.
Sorry but I do like gammon, on the bone. Lil Bruvver supplies his own smoked version.
And thanks BM for removing that horrible set-up. I could barely read it.
