We wish you Merry Christmas!

 Well I've tracked Santa since I woke up this morning! Followed him on his outstanding journey around the world and now he is in England... woop! I better get to bed before he arrives further North otherwise I might not get a visit :( I'll just hide in bed and listen....

Merry Christmas from Max! And our beautiful, smaller than usual, tree.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, wherever you are and whatever you've asked Santa for. Enjoy your time with your family and friends and be grateful for everything you have, even if it's not necessarily what you wanted.

Presents waiting to be opened on Fakemass and Christmas. Eee!!

For me Christmas really isn't about the presents any more, at least, not the ones I receive, I do get a lot of pleasure giving them to other people thought, especially when you get it just right. I think Stu was pretty happy with what I got him this year - he really needed a new hoodie and spotted that one a few months ago, I secretly bought it and hid it away in October (Yup, I really do start that early). He was really surprised because he wasn't expecting me to have bought it and thought he'd need to go get it himself. Woot! Point to me!! I also got him a couple of books that he'd been talking about on holiday, but I don't think he'd realised I'd mentally clocked it and added them to my 'to buy' list for later. Another point to me! Woot! As well as a few smaller silly things - including a Simon's Cat calendar, I love that wee cat! So true to life! - I also got him, along with my parents too, an Oxfam Unwrapped gift. I love these types of gifts, really makes me feel like I'm giving back and everyone is getting something useful from it. My Mum started giving these a few years ago, over the course of time I've received a toilet (tee hee) and a goat. I find them a really amusing and quirky gift to give, and I guess it does make me feel good about myself, which is slightly selfish, but meh! This year I bought Stu 'Safe water for 20 people', since I think we waste quite a lot here, my Dad a 'Plant an Allotment' because he is a wizard in the garden, and my Mum a sheep to go with the goat she got me years back. If you've never heard of this scheme, please do check it out. I don't really have a pet goat in my tiny Edinburgh flat, it just means that Oxfam give a goat to a family somewhere that will really benefit from having one - they are such hardy and giving creatures and can pretty much live anywhere, so ideal for the struggling countries like Malawi. You can read more about them here. I've spoken about them with Stu before, I don't think he's ever experienced anything like that before so he's never really appreciated the feeling or idea behind it. He even said that he'd rather not receive one because there's not really anything in it for him - this got me slightly worried since I'd already bought them and the lovely card that comes with the gift was sitting under our tree. Oops. But I also realised that I had been getting it for me too, so I didn't fully mind. But when he opened it on Fakemass his reaction was TOTALLY different. He really understood the thought and meaning behind it and I think he became quite emotional about it too. Which was really the reaction I was after. Woot woot! Who knows, maybe I've started a tradition. Hope my parents still appreciate their gifts tomorrow.

Santa is here!!!

Ok, since it's now well passed midnight, and Santa has now visited Edinburgh and now in Inverness (say hi to all my old school friends), I really think it's time for bed! Eeeee! It's Christmas!!! Wooo!! Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you have a great day, Santa has been good and you are suitably stuffed after the awesomeness that is Christmas Dinner! Enjoy! And night night!

Merry Christmas Inverness!

What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year? Have you ever received a similar Oxfam gift? How do you think you would react to being given one of those?