Christmas pros and cons

As usual around this time of year someone accuses me of being a Bah Humbug Scrooge as I'm often found muttering darkly about various aspects of this holiday which I don't care for. Being an Atheist I have no religious reasons for liking Christmas but I am particularly keen on socialising with family and friends. So, here's a list of my Christmas pros and cons. please feel to add your own suggestions to the list.

PRO
- good time to socialise with family and friends.
- wonderful food.
- getting to drink things like mulled wine and eggnog.
- giving and getting gifts.
- see kiddies reactions on Christmas morning.
- Dotor Who Christmas special.
- some other decent tv
- European Parliament Office in Scotland's annual end of year reception.
- chocolate gingers.
- Christmas markets.

CON
- shopping hell!
- the amount of people in supermarkets buying enough food to survive a nuclear winter.
- Christmas stuff appearing in the shops in September.
- feeling like a lemon in the women's lingerie section of Fraser's. I escaped this year ;-)
- masses of people in pubs who don't know how to behave and think it's clever to tap money on the bar counter in a vain attempt to attract the attention of a member of the bar staff.
- getting a card from someone whom you hadn't sent one to when it's too late to get one in the
post.
- never getting a white Christmas.
- over eating and over drinking.
- wrapping presents.
- public transport meltdown.
- Santa hats and reindeer antlers (particular hatred of Santa hats in old firm colours).
- 90% of TV being crap.
- the racket from "neds on ice" which takes place in George Square for 4 weeks in the run up. (this deserves a post of it's own)
- office nights out (excluding my own of course!)
- the train to the office being full of 'ladies who lunch'.




I guess that more will be added as my bile gland refills or my goodwill to all meter is replenished.

Update: Friday 21st December 15:00
Well the bile gland has refilled first so here are a few more CONS:
- bagpiping buskers.
- red cowboy hats with white "fur" trim.
- shopping in Glasgow the last Friday before Christmas.
- availability of taxis.
- women using prams & pushchairs as battering rams.

Soroptimists steal my Birthday & our holiday!

Catherine and her Mum are involved in a Wimmin's organisation called the Soroptimists an excellent organisation for professional women who wish to give their talents, time and money to help make lives better in many countries around the globe. They are also particularly concerned about human rights issues. More info can be found at: http://www.soroptimistinternational.org/ or http://www.soroptimist-gbi.org/

In most circusmstances I fully support Catherine in her work with this very worthy organisation.
No today though! I've just learned that she's at their Conference from the 29th July to 4th August. So what I hear you say. well, 3rd August happens to be my Birthday and we had planned to be in Krakow or Bruxelles from the 2nd - 7th of August. Instead I'll be limited to seeing her on the evening of my Birthday and a few nights away somewhere in the UK. Bah!

At least the conference is in Glasgow so I can claim a Birthday dinner at Rogano's and I have also found a great looking B&B in Wigton (Scotland's National Book Town), which, at the last count, boasted 24 independent bookshops. I'm salivating already at the prospect. Guess where my Birthday dosh will be going?

Actually, it's worth the price in the long run as the major Conference next year is in Barbados, for which we are already saving. Ten days staying in the Barbados Hilton in October 2008 sounds quite nice. No, it doesn't; it sounds BLOODY FANTASTIC!!!!!!