So this is Christmas

Having spent most of December blogging about Christmas past, today I'm right up to date - Christmas 2017.

Christmas 2017 was like most Christmases - not as planned.  I started off by doing the eulogy at a friend's funeral on December 20th and then got stuck in to pre Christmas visiting.  I'd done most of my food shopping well before Christmas (mostly on-line) so apart from nipping into the Co-op for bread I could stay out of the shops.  I felt as though I had planned well.

23rd December the telephone line went down so no phone calls over Christmas.  My apologies if I usually phone you.  Broadband became iffy and as BT also supplies my TV service that was also difficult

I got the first warning of "not as planned"about ten days before Christmas.  Could I take a Midnight Mass?  I thought I'd given that up when I retired as these days I like my sleep so don't make myself available but a church still needing a priest that close to Christmas wasn't going to find one easily.  The chap they had booked had to back out so I stepped into the breach.  Not in bed until gone 1 am Christmas morning.

Christmas Day started with a nine o'clock service which was as planned but when I got home I was shattered so I thought I'd have a short snooze.  Next thing I knew it was 4 pm - I'd slept over five hours!  I really didn't feel well so rather than the turkey dinner I had planned I had cheese, biscuits and orange juice,  The only festive bit was the cranberries in the cheese!  Back to bed by 8 pm and I slept until 7 am.  Definitely not as planned.  

Boxing Day started off with me feeling equally woolly but by mid afternoon I perked up a little and decided to have the piece of turkey I had planned and it was delicious.  I then felt well enough to open  few presents before another early night.

Yesterday I felt a little better but the weather was lousy - no snow here but plenty of rain.  I still haven't been to see Auntie Hettie and I won't be going today.

And yet Christmas has been good - or at least the part of it when I was awake was good!  I have enjoyed my memories of Christmas past and I have had a peaceful Christmas 2017.

I've started to plan for Christmas 2018.  Which won't go as planned.