Happy Holidays!

A double Xmas tree for us this year!

Or “god fortsättning” as we say in Sweden!  That literally means “good continuation”, which is a bit weird I guess, but I suppose what they really mean is a continuation of the Christmas cheer and I’m all for that!

Just because the massive meal has been consumed and the presents opened doesn’t mean the fun is over.  To be perfectly honest, the time after Christmas is one of my favourite parts.  I don’t think I really relax until Boxing Day when I can finally stop cooking and rushing around, and just enjoy.  Enjoy the peace and quiet while family members who are no longer over-excited check out whatever they were given.  Enjoy leaving everyone to fend for themselves food-wise (we have enough leftovers to feed an army I should think!).  And enjoy some me-time - sleeping, reading or watching the DVDs I got.  In fact, just chilling.

The weather outside is typically British – rain, rain and more rain – but it doesn’t matter.  I have my family around me, the house is nice and warm and I don’t need to go out (apart from dog walks, but even those are short since my dogs don’t like to get their paws wet).  I may have suffered just a tiny pang of envy when my mum told me they have more snow than they know what to do with in Sweden, but although it would have been prettier if the lawn outside had been white, I don’t really mind that much.  I definitely don’t envy them all the snow shovelling they’ll have to do and I’ve never been very keen on winter sports either (too lazy).

It’s been such a busy year for me, I almost feel guilty for not doing anything and just sitting still.  But it’s wonderful at the same time and hopefully it means I’m refilling that well we’ve talked so much about on this blog.  I refuse to think about my own writing at all, leaving it to my subconscious for now to turn over plots and characters without letting them bubble to the surface.  Instead I’m concentrating on other people’s books and so far I’ve read two that have been waiting in my TBR pile for ages.  I thoroughly enjoyed them both, and I have a teetering stack of more waiting ... total bliss for a bookworm like me!

I hope you’re all chilling as well, enjoying the leftovers and lasting Christmas cheer.  I wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year for 2013, the Chinese year of the Snake!