My mind’s been on Christmas since the summer. That's when
I sat down to write my latest novella, White Christmas. As the rest of my
family whizzed around enjoying the sunshine I was in a world of my own, dreaming
about Christmas trees, advent calendars, carols, presents and snow.
But now my ebook is done and dusted, I’m busy getting sorted
for Christmas. With friends and family scattered all over the place, it means being
hyper-organised for once and making sure that the right presents get sent to
the right place at the right time. I’ll never forget the awful year when I finished work in
London on Christmas Eve, drove down to my parents in Dorset, laden (or so I
thought) with presents, and then discovered I’d left the most important ones
behind.
My problem is that I always get lulled into a false sense of
security. I usually start my Christmas shopping in October, get loads done and
then grind to a halt. Around the middle of December I have a major panic when I
realise I haven’t done nearly as much as I thought I had.
But this year is different. Why? Because instead of keeping
everything in my head (not a good idea when it’s clogged up with other stuff), I’ve
actually written a list. I’ve also
downloaded the brilliant Red magazine's Christmas Kitchen Lifesaver app, which is keeping me on the straight
and narrow about all the food I’ve got to buy.
But back to presents, my list is a work of art. I’ve scrawled
the names of everyone I’m buying presents for in one column and when I need to
post everything in the next. I’ve written my Christmas cards (well, most of them),
sent my goddaughters’ parcels off by Parcelforce already (they are a dream to buy for) and if
I say so myself, I’m not doing too badly at all.
Getting ahead for a change and sending my presents off early
has been a revelation. Instead of panicking I’m enjoying these pre-Christmas
weeks. I just hope I haven’t forgotten someone...
PS. I've even bought a Christmas pudding - from Meg Rivers Cakes (see below). Thanks to my friend Jackie, I've just discovered their cafe near Broadway, in Worcestershire, and it's a great place for lunch.
