Christmas Lead-Up!

Dear Diary,

There are times when it's impossible to get by. When sometimes, your extreme willpower and competence isn't enough to get results. When you have to shelve your pride and pick an easier option.

Which is why I say: Thank CHRIST for Amazon.

What a wonderfully, wonderfully simple idea. Thanks to this genius website I can now Christmas shop to my heart's content - without having to stifle to death in over-long queues, avoid eye-contact with enthusiastic Christian canvassers, or indeed, leave my house. Fantastic. Don't get me wrong - unlike other people - I love nothing more than slipping on icy high streets, breathing in the cold air (that seems to virtually buzz with excitement and impatience) and trailing into every shop that's covered in tinsel, special offers, and cheap decorations. I LOVE struggling around with about 15 bags, trying to find my purse in the bottom of my handbag and having to stand on the tram. I love laying all my purchases out at home, and more than anything, I LOVE wrapping them. Mark my words, Christmas shopping is the BEES KNEES.

Christmas preparations are well underway, chez O'Donnell. By some miracle of nature, I have not continued my grand tradition of "buy everything on Christmas Eve," but have, in fact, become unbelievably organised. I literally only have about 5 presents left to buy! I should REALLY be organised more often......

MORE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE HOLIDAY SEASON:

My friends are back. All the better to swap presents, reminisce and be filled with that joyful friend-glow that appears as you are reunited.

The parties. OK, there haven't exactly been LOADS, but had a pretty good fancy-dress knees-up at Marie's last week (all the better for Joe to meet college friends). He went as a pirate, I went as a gypsy (feathers and earrings and bangles, oh my!). Watched in horror as a very pissed Anne (aka: Buzz Killington) launched herself on Joe to share tales of her ballet class, the kids she teaches (ASSISTANT teaches, can I point out) and other similarly crashing-ly boring stories, as he pulled faces at me behind her back. She wasn't even in fancy dress! Eventually she forced herself onto a terrified 17 year-old's lap, whilst stage-whispering (ie: very loudly) to me: "Kat! I APPROVE OF HIM!!" Nice, but her opinion didn't exactly matter to me. Harsh, I know, but true. Anyway, drinks were imbibed, catch-ups and dances were had and eventually, we headed back to his (all the better for the pirate to meet the gypsy in the tavern, hehe).

The silly promises. Whilst tipsy the other Saturday, I made a pledge (one I'd be thinking about for a while) to Joe - to inforce a sex ban, just for a few weeks, in January. So that I could "enjoy all the other things that come with a relationship" and hopefully train my brain into not thinking that sex is something that should be partaken as often as breathing. He agreed, but bet that I wouldn't even last a week. Naturally I got all indignant and competitive and swore I'd prove him wrong. We'll see in 2010!

The Work. Had the very good fortune to be taken on at the agency my brother works at doing Hospitality work, you know, parties, dinners, conferences and the like. Which, fortunately, means a spike in work-load this time of year, with Christmas parties and the like. Luckily, Joe climbed on board too, meaning we've had a rip-roaring time the past few weeks, working together and pretending not to know each other as anything more than colleagues (secret kisses in the kitchen, anyone?) And it doesn't stop there - I've worked at Key 103 gigs, seen JLS, Spandau Ballet, and a whole host of others perform, gone to posh hotels at the airport and been chatted up by a Captain Jack Sparrow-a-gram. WHILST. IN. CHARACTER (needless to say, the shaky-kneed blushing schoolgirl in me came RIGHT to the surface). And on top of all that - MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Current Mood: cold - to my extreme delight, it looks like we're getting a white Christmas!
Current Music: "Mama Do" - Pixie Lott