Can You Hear Me Now?

Let the eating begin!!!!!!!!! That’s not to say that it didn’t begin before today… no, no, no, don’t be silly, there have been a couple parties and gatherings already. But today looks like the start of the MARATHON!!

This morning I arrived at my client’s to find a lovely gift basket on the desk addressed to me, the contents of which were:

• Walkers shortbread cookies
• Small box of Belgian chocolates
• BBQ flavoured peanuts
• Almond hazelnut biscotti
• 100g bag of pretzels (shaped like Christmas trees!)
• Two packets of ‘Christmas Cocoa’ hot chocolate mix
• Chocolate raspberry ground coffee
• Two candy canes

And, of course, the basket itself which unfortunately isn’t edible, so it will get tossed up on top of my kitchen cupboards where I’ve got loads of wicker baskets just thrown up there strategically placed for aesthetic purposes.

(Oh. OH! And you know how they get everything in those baskets to look so nice the way they are placed in there? Everything upright with the front labels showing and all that? Yeah. They tape everything to everything else. Tape. Everything taped to everything else is JUST A TAD annoying).

At lunch, I wandered over to Boston Pizza to give the General Manager a tin of my shortbread (which is so much better than that Walkers stuff, thankyouverymuch!) and a card to thank him for all the free lunches he gives me every time I go there. So of course I stayed and had free lunch again today, and it’s Pasta Tuesday, so mmmmm Tuscan Penne ROCKS! (That GM and I go back many, many years and he’s always liked me; when he was the GM at the Unicorn and I was the bookkeeper there, I was the only person he let hug him on his last day. Well, I was the only one that had the nerve to actually try and get away with it. Heh. We have a bond).

Tomorrow and the next day I’ve got Christmas lunches planned with a couple girlfriends… not sure where we are going, but there will most likely be food involved.

Friday is, of course, Christmas Eve. I am spending it at my friend Lisa’s, with her family and her boyfriend Russ, and I’ve already been warned about the food. They are, after all, Italian, so I’m sure “EAT! EAT! EAT!” will be heard coming from all directions. We’ll be having the big turkey dinner with all the trimmings and Dad’s famous (fruit? ha) punch and I can only imagine what else. Large Italian Family Christmas… I better wear pants with an elastic waist!!

Once I am rolled in the door from that evening, I will sleep at home and then Eric is coming over Christmas morning and we will head out to Strathmore to spend Christmas day at my mom and stepdad’s. Baking, rum and egg nog, chocolate, cheese balls, etc. followed by another turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

Ohhhhh I think I’ve got a bottle of Pepto-Bismol around here somewhere. Good thing I’m not doing anything fancy on new year’s eve, I’d never fit in the dress!!

(Biscotti - gone.)

The next few days are busy ones, so I doubt I’ll be updating before Christmas. So here’s wishing all my readers the best Christmas ever!! I’ll catch up with you before the new year. Have fun, be safe, stay warm, enjoy your loved ones, and above all be thankful for all that you have!!