So how was it for you?

 Christmas, I mean. Good, bad or indifferent? The last minute restrictions didn't make any difference to me; I had planned for a quiet day at home with plenty of food and a few treats.  My youngest son and his family live about 6 miles away and they invited me to join them for Christmas dinner. Although I appreciated the lovely offer, I had decided it was safer to stay at home. I have missed the hugs and kisses but it would have been almost impossible to be in the midst of the family without hugging, especially the children.  I explained that I'm perfectly used to living on my own and was well stocked up with everything I could possibly want or need, so I would have to decline until it was safe to do such a thing. I have been self-isolating since March so with vaccines becoming available I'm looking forward to the day when we can lead a more normal way of life, with interactions and the chance to enjoy the outdoors once again.

So I enjoyed a leisurely day with some surprise gifts to open, plenty of good food (too much, if truth be told!) and a couple of glasses of red wine. There wasn't room for the Christmas Pudding and cream, so that was eaten much later in the evening. Benji thoroughly enjoyed HIS Christmas dinner and when I gave him a couple of the 'pigs in blankets', having removed the bacon, they lasted him as long as his dental chews!  (They don't take long to cook, do they?  Ooops!!!)   I received several phone calls and emails from family and friends. Incidentally, it has turned into a 'Booky' Christmas; I ended up with a total of 12 books!!!  Oh what a decadent life I shall be leading - no time for housework and the like, eh?

Boxing Day was a VERY quiet day and I may have nodded off in front of the TV.  In between, I made phone calls to a few friends - it was good to catch up with them too.  When the world was a normal place, I would have been out on Boxing Day, taking my dog to Seaton beach to join the crowds there for a mass walk, followed by a warming mug of hot chocolate in the Beach Cafe; it's been a tradition to do just that for many years. Hopefully, we'll make it next year. Even more hopefully, next year will be a huge improvement on 2020.  We can do without any more disasters, thank you.