Apparently, Christmas is Coming

December already.  I know that I seem to say this every year, but this year Christmas really seems to have crept up on me.  I've actually done bugger all in terms of preparations and have undoubtedly missed the last posting date for presents for relatives living overseas.  Which doesn't matter as I haven't even bought said presents yet.  I blame my lack of awareness of the approach of the festive season on the really lousy Christmas TV commercials we've had so far this year - they all seem far too low key to register on my consciousness.  OK, so I know that there have been Christmas decorations up in the local shopping mall for weeks now, which really should have alerted me to the proximity of Yuletide, but they go up earlier every year, so I pay no attention.  Not even the appearance of those huts full of traders selling over priced seasonal tat in my town centre registered on me, let alone the appearance of the rival cheese stalls and the German sausage stall.  Somehow it all got past me without registering this year.  I've been thinking about it a bit more today and I'm close to deciding which film I'm going to watch on Christmas Day.

As I've speculated before, my relative indifference toward Christmas these days might well be down to that fact that I'm no longer doing that lousy job from Hell that blighted my life for years.  Back then the Christmas break represented an oasis of relief from the utter, seemingly unrelenting, shit.  It held out the promise of a few days of time to myself, when I wasn't at work's beck and call, when I could just relax.  Now, without that millstone around my neck, my stress levels have fallen virtually to zero and I feel relaxed all year around.  So Christmas no longer represents a vital lifeline for me and thus passes by almost unnoticed.  That's my theory, at least.  Whatever he reason, I'm going to have to start doing something about it soon.  The trouble is that December is also the month when all manner of other things come due and have to be dealt with - the car's MoT, for instance, which I have to get it through next week.  (Next time I buy a car, I'm really going to have to make sure that its MoT comes due earlier in the year).  If you've read this far, you will have realised that this is another of those days when I can't be bothered to come up with a proper post.  I'm afraid that after posting about those spy movies earlier in the week, writing a new story for The Sleaze and putting together a new podcast for The Overnightscape Underground, I've somewhat run out of steam.  So, here's to next week and some renewed inspiration.