I was all set to write a post about how I’m going to struggle getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Then I had a quick trawl through my archives to see if I’d used the smutty “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” gag before (I have, twice), and realised that every December since I started this blog I’ve written a post about how I’ve been struggling to get into the Christmas spirit. So I suppose there is nothing new there really.
Apart from this year, for the first time since I’ve had children, I’m going to be working on Christmas day. From 1:30pm until 11pm to be precise.
To quote the ever perceptive Tricia Honea who responded to my complaints about the situation on twitter, this “Sucks balls”. In fact I might even go a little further than that. I think you’ll find Tricia that it actually sucks great big hairy monkey balls.
Still, I work in a 7 day a week, 365 day a year service. Somebody’s got to do Christmas day and I’ve been pretty lucky in avoiding the duty up to now. Plus, as Lee pointed out to me on Google Wave (I hope I’m impressing you all with my web 2.0 credentials here) at least I’ll get some karma points for doing it.
Still sucks monkey balls though. Plus due to various family members being away, working, or not doing Christmas this year, Kerry will be on all on her own with the kids after I leave. Even more ball suckage.
So we’re thinking about moving Christmas.
I’m not working Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, so either of those would be good. I mean the kids aren’t going to know. It should be easy enough to fool Amy with a bit of creative advent calendar fiddling, and Evan’ chooses to name his days according to who’ll be looking after him rather than any archaic conventions based on obsolete gods (is it Daddyday today or Nurseryday?).
But still, moving Christmas? Is that acceptable? I mean we move the kids birthdays to convenient weekends, but that’s small fry compared to messing with the big X. Although, thinking about it, there’s no reason we shouldn’t. We’re not in any way religious, and even if we were it’d make no difference as Christ was supposedly born some time in January anyhow. And don’t other nations make more of a big deal about other days in December rather than the 25th? I know Arjan gets his presents from Sinterklass on the 5th of December.
So what do we think then? Move Christmas and then try to pretend the 25th is just a particularly good TV day, or stick to the rules and try and cram as much seasonal cheer into the morning before I have to go sit miserably in my office?
