Christmas

It is said that Christmas is a time for family. What do you do when you family is miles away and you get the unspeakable honour of spending the festive season alone?

this is the dillemma that i was in this year. No boyfriend, no family, no kids... What to do.

I had it all planned. Get home from work on 24th, take a sleeping tablet. Get up whenever I awake, make something to munch on and then Sleep again. If needs be, take another sleeping tablet. Christmas morning, sleep until you wake, then eat something small again. Go back to sleep. and this would have been the routine until Monday, when i have to get my stuff ready for work again.

TOTAL change of plans.

after the mandatory xmas sms's and messages were sent, I get a very anxious aunt on the line... Begging me to spend Christmas with them. What could I say? I couldnt tell her what my plans were, she would catch a total wobble!

SO there I was, sitting on my bed, about to take the next tablet for Friday evening, when the proverbial popo hit the fan... I promised to drive out to Sedgefield (about 300 km from PE) to spend Christmas with them.

Needless to say, I never took the Friday Evening sleeping tablet.

Early morning I left PE and arrived smack in the middle of the camp church service! Embarrassment deluxe. Driving, Ciggie in hand, music blaring! OMW!!!!

Getting to the camp site, there was a surprise, my cousin, whom I havent seen in like 10 years was there too... Husband and adopted child in tow! And of course the youngest of my aunt's brood. A 23 yr old Law Student.

I felt like a fish out of water. The Law Student too young to really chat to, and the sister too absorbed in the husband and child to spend time with. So that left me with the aunt and uncle. Wow! That was fun! Luckily I get on really well with both of them. We understand each other.

Now i find out that lunch was arranged and paid for at a whopping R175 per person at the Sedgefield Arms. But boy, it was worth every penny! the most awesome spread one could ask for from a Xmas Buffet. And it wasnt only the family. Friends were also included, which made the group about 12 strong. Just imagine the noise.

Eating over and done with, back to camp. Everyone went to sleep off the heavy lunch, but at that stage, I wasnt even sure where i was going to sleep. ONly to find out that I was banished to a tent set up with another couple (my aunt's brother - who is intensely disliked by my aunt). Luckily I didnt have to share that with anyone.

My aunt and me took a walk to the beach and made ourselves comfortable in the sand. We had the most awesome chat.

Starting to get cold, we went back to the caravan and started thinking about supper. Dont ask me how, but I even managed a bite or two after the huge lunch.

Off to bed i toddled and had a restless night in the tent.

Getting up on Sunday was a mission. My back ached, my ankle was swollen to twice the normal size, headache deluxe!

Uncle made breakfast and I gobbled up 2 headache tabs as well - curtousy of my cousin.

The day was spent on the beach. Hot sun and sensitive skin do NOT go well together, so I sat in the shade all day. Too scared to even put my toes in the water.

The afternoon was spent on my bed in the borrowed tent. Sleeping like a baby. Supper came and went and we sat staring at the flames of the camp fire. So relaxing.

Back to bed for a good nights rest before the long trip back home in the morning. Needless to say that i had a whale of a time trying to fall asleep again... I did eventually, but was up again at 5 am!

I waited for my aunt and uncle to get up till about 7 am, when i eventually called them and left the happy camp site behind me.

When I got back home, I looked back over the couple days and realised that I was an "outsider" and that it would probably be the last time that I spend Christmas with my aunt and uncle. Especially if the kids are there as well...

So, that was my xmas... Only exciting thing that happened was that CB phoned by a couple times!

Almost no-one is at work and work has come to a grinding halt. If I do get some work in now, it will be a welcome interruption, as I am super bored.
I really don't understand why I don't go on leave like all the "normal" people out there!
I actually do have something to look forward to this Christmas, although I won't hold my breath. It might just not happen.
Looking back on the history of my friendship with him, it is more than likely that nothing will come of his promises. So dear friends, this girl is just keeping on keeping on.