After Christmas

Though I always really look forward to Christmas, after it I'm almost glad - no, relieved - that it's over and done with for another year. I cannot wait to get back to normal, to start new projects. This year I'm planning something special for this blog too, but more about that when the details are fixed.

Perhaps this year I'm even keener to get on with new things because we're here in London where Christmas was so different from the ones in the country. Firstly it was quieter. You may be surprised, but during the past five months having got used to - and quite enjoyed - having people and noise around us, it came as a bit of a shock when everyone seemed to leave town a few days before Christmas. Our street was empty; I spotted only a couple of houses where lights came on over Christmas. Our neighbours too went away leaving the house eerily quiet.

Walking up the silent hallway, I imagined what it would be like to live in this three-story building all on our own - the way I'm sure it was intended to be used when built. Sadly the first though that came to mind was how much more work looking after a house rather than a flat would be. Then I thought how lonely it'd be on those evenings when Husband is at some meeting or other. These were after all some of the reasons we left the house in the country and moved into the city.

In a strange way Christmas here in London also was less stressful. It was so much easer to find the ingredients for our Finnish Christmas here, and shopping for presents was also much simpler. Of course I've done much of both food and present shopping online for years now, but in the country you were never quite sure the deliveries would be on the day they were promised so trying to buy any last minute items online would be a non-starter. And with the nearest shopping place being an hour's drive away, time was always an issue. Here all I needed to do was to nip into Selfridges where I could get almost anything I wanted. Or make a panic buy in the week before Christmas online at the Apple store, safe in the knowledge that it'd be delivered before Christmas Day.

Of course before we can completely forget about the holidays and start the New Year there's this strange week in between. Days when there seems little purpose to life apart from making sure the left-overs are being eaten and some sale bargains being bought.

And of course celebrate Daughter's Birthday!