The relativity of time and Christmas memories/wishes

I don’t live up a really high mountain, I live in Kent and whilst I am some way up the shallow slope on the northern side of the North Downs so hardly a region noted for its high altitude. The reason I’m pondering this is that the weekend seemed to flash past quicker than Lewis Hamilton on a final lap burst for pole position. I watched a Horizon programme about time last week and was reminded that the closer you are to a large gravitational body the slower time travels, therefore if you are up a high mountain time must surely go quicker. Hence my puzzlement as to whether the contours on the map about my house are correct or not…

Enough of the waffling basically the weekend came, the Christmas decorations came out the loft and went up, after having to fix one set of lights, I cooked a Chinese for Mrs F, Daughter-of-Futheron, my brother and his girlfriend, we put the kitchen back together which is always a big job once I’ve been cooking (I ran out of oven space, bowls, spoons everything this time!). Went to an AA business meeting, had one all too brief look at my Boss digital recorder thingy – why to they put on a demo song that makes you think “I’ll never be that good”, I know they intend to inspire but for people like me it’s more a hindrance than a help… wrapped up my presents to Mrs F whilst she was out and then that was it… It’s Monday morning now.

I’m trying to curb my looking forward to the break at Christmas a bit. I’m concerned I’ll create loads of plans in my head and get little of them done. I should just look forward to the break and take it as it comes. We have planned a big New Year’s Day get together, it’s a bit of a family tradition. When we grew up and left home Christmas Day moved to be centered around our families this being firstly true with my sister who’s the eldest and gave Mum and Dad their first grandchild. After Dad died and Mum moved to her little bungalow New Year’s Day tea was at her place. As the families grew it did reach quite mad proportions – 7 adults and 6 kids in a small one bedroom bungalow was a laugh.

Sadly for reasons I’ll not go into a halt got called to that and we moved to having a meal out on New Years Day which Mum paid for. That has now grown to include other additions to the family and this year we’re booking for about 17 I think. Now my sister has a Grandson and there are a growing number of additional partners in the children. Mrs F chatted up the manager of the local restaurant and he relented on his “no party over 10” rule for us. It’s a shame Mum won’t be there to see the first one of these with her great-grandson no doubt making a great mess in his highchair. Now the children are setting up their own families and moving on slowly no doubt this’ll change and I suppose there is every chance it’ll only be a few of us again in a few years.

A fellow blogger out there in the real world is facing a very tough time at the moment as her Dad is very unwell. Obviously I’ve been there losing Mum and Dad before that but now esp. at these times in the year I can look back and remember just special moments. The fort that is still kept carefully in the loft that my Dad made me for Christmas when I was 8 and my son played with subsequently, hopefully I can pass it on to a grandson of mine one day. The mad New Years teas at Mums with all the kids playing with new toys and watching videos and her table groaning under the weight of food she’d prepared, my brother-in-law protesting he couldn’t eat another thing then Mum just putting a mince pie on his plate no matter what.

I bit early maybe but in this mood I thought I’d just wish you all a fantastic Christmas this year.