Christmas is Coming!

I have to admit that I do quite like Christmas. I don't like it starting too early but, If it has all the right components, then it's brilliant. BBF however hates it...

Being an armchair Jew, he doesn't bother with Hanukkah and he poo-poohs Christmas as well. So instead of my life being culturally enriched, I have to try and justify why I want to celebrate Christmas. Which is hard to explain to someone who hasn't been bought up with it being part of the fabric of their childhood with layers of Christmases going towards the creation of a giant Mille Feuille of nostalgia.

I've also discovered it's hard to put why I love Christmas into words. It's so many things and it's more the sentiment rather than particular situations or things. When you have celebrated it with your family and friends, celebrated it on your own, not celebrated it at all, had great ones, crap ones, fun ones, sad ones, argumentative ones, and slow, lovely meandering ones - they all go together to make up a very personal experience of what Christmas means to you.

Last year was a mixed bag to be honest. I didn't bring it up at the time as I hadn't been with BBF for long, and wasn't sure how he'd take me writing on my blog how peeved I was at the whole thing. It was the only thing we argued about last year and it wasn't at all how I expected to spend my first Christmas with him.

BBF has an ex girlfriend who he gets on very well with but I haven't personally taken to her. She only talks directly to him when we're all together and tries to reminisce about times they spend together and people they knew. It's all rather subtle but both she and I know she's doing it. Anyway, she asked him if she and her boyfriend could spend Christmas Day with us as she wasn't sure she could handle her boyfriend's company for the whole day.

So she didn't want to spend Christmas with her boyfriend, she wanted to spend it with mine instead. BBF being so lovely and innocent said of course they could. He didn't understand the whole 'our first Christmas together' thing - but I know she did. 

The day wasn't entirely dreadful but it wasn't really what I had in mind either.  So this year, I've vetoed any idea of spending the day with them and we might be going up to spend Christmas Eve to Boxing Day at my best friends instead. I will also see my family but we'd be staying with her as my folks don't have a spare room. This would be lovely seeing as my Dad had his cancer scare earlier in the year - plus my best friend really does put on a luverly Christmas!

I'm really excited about helping her put on a great Christmas, but there's no way I can carry it here by myself with a Christmas-hater. BBF thinks it's a big commercial nightmare fraught with arguments and stress. Which of course it is... because people are involved! But it is what you make it and I can't ignore that it happens. I'm starting to get quite excited even though it's a month away as I know the time will go really quickly.

I've already created my Xmas Excel spreadsheet (I do love a good spreadsheet me) where I write down who I want to give presents to and what cards are going where. I'm going to be making vanilla heart-shaped biscuits, truffles, Florentines, lemon curd, honeycomb, peppermint creams, candles, and nice crochet things. All beautifully wrapped and presented of course. I can't afford much this year but I really do love giving people things I've made. It's so much better than buying any old thing just for the sake of it.

So basically, this year instead of trying to describe to BBF why I love Christmas, I'm going to try and show him instead. And at least if he goes all Grinchy on me, I'll still have Elf, my best friend, and a big tin of Quality Street to console me. And if he hates trying it my way then we're going have to have another rethink for next year!