Christmas countdown

Discovered steampunk the other day, and yes, it is a bit late in the day and where have I been, but this year we are drawn to a steampunk Christmas. My take on this is to get to the local antique/junk/charity shops and buy stuff for people that is OLD. Failing that, it's a knitting needle thing, which I am now entitled, since I am a granny.

My eldest daughter has bought her fella a gorgeous pair of brass and leather binoculars, and we found a delightful piece of Scandinavian pottery for someone else. I am finding the whole commercial build up quite overwhelming, because there is so much in the way of wonderful stuff to spend on that it would be quite easy to bankrupt yourself buying for just one person.

Enough of all this - Christmas is a time for kids and Santa, and the baby Jesus and talking animals, angels and magic, and the smell of pine and spice. I love squashy presents, still wrapped, and the imaginings of some luxurious, sensual something that I would never buy myself. The presents under the tree hold the potential for what could be and this year, I will try to put off the opening, savouring each one and enjoying the experience. As kids we used to watch the oldies do this and wonder at their restraint. Our own presents and had been ripped from their wrappings at the break of dawn, if not before and it was all over in a flash.

That's one thing I have learned over the years; some things are really worth taking slowly and savouring.