It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I love Christmas.

Did I mention that?

I adore Christmas. The child-like excitement in little things. The decorations, lights, scents of pine and spices, fun and silliness. And yes, I like the presents -- mostly giving them! - and the food and drink. It's special.

I should take a picture of my dining room right now - there are six huge plastic boxes of wrapping paraphenalia and decorations. There are boxes of chocolates and bags of presents. There's the advent calendar on the wall and the heaps of tangled strings of lights and large box of spare bulbs telling their own frightful story...

On one chair is a pile of red and gold boxes containing scented candles unguents (great word) from Crabtee and Evelyn's Noel range. There's a couple of my Mum's homemade stockings which will need ironing before I fill them with goodies. Occasionally a small cat errupts from under the massive table, pursuing a runaway bauble. Once in a while I have to stop and say, Chrissy! Don't chew the lights! Soon I will pack away some of the ornaments, plug-in air fresheners, china and even pictures from the wall to replace with their Christmas counterparts.

On Sunday, Husband and I will go and buy a Christmas tree. He'll have to prop them up against him so I can measure their height. We always try to buy something around seven foot tall, and he's six foot, so he's a very useful person to have around... Later that day he'll be up a ladder fixing the house lights, and I'll go for a walk down the lane to cut down a hazel bough. I'll put it up in the corner of the living room bedecked with lights, and will hang my Mum's breathtakingly gorgeous beaded baubles from it.

Then we'll spend the next few weeks trying to dissuade the cats from attacking them. There's a reason that the actual tree is only hung with plastic baubles, up to about shoulder height.

For Christmas, I'll be preparing a feast for eight people. I shall be disappointed if I don't get at least six, ooooh!s of wonder and at least one, My God this is gorgeous.

It's a lot of work, but there's a lot of joy in it, too. Which is one of the reasons I resent most seriously some of the s*** that is being heaped on me right now, and is interfering with my chance to enjoy my favourite season.

Never mind. I love Christmas more than I hate the s***, and gleaming gold and green and pine and spices, laughter, silliness, company and joy will prevail.

Deck the halls, people. It's Christmas time!!