Tuesday 8 December 2009

Christmas Wish List

Loyal readers may recall from last year that I am not a big fan of winter per se. Consequently, I am even less of a fan of Christmas, which seems to epitomise everything that is wrong about winter (the cold, the darkness, the confinement, the socks...).
And yet, this year, there are subtle changes afoot.
BB is 2 now, and slightly more aware that lights & glitter & trees = presents.
The day he showed me the freshly decorated tree at crèche, beaming with pride as he tugged on the glittery bauble he had "created", I knew that my Christmas-resistance days were numbered. Before you could say "commercial overkill", I heard myself asking him: "Would you like us to get a tree for the house, honey? Mmm? Would you like that?" in that slightly cloying voice us parents employ when bursting with the desire to simply make our kids happy.

So off we went to get a (tiny) tree. And some baubles. Though I have resisted tinsel for another year, thank goodness.
And, yes, I will admit: I enjoyed decorating my tree. I had to, since in the event, of course, BB lost interest in the whole venture pretty quickly.
So now my little tree sits prettily atop the bookshelves: it's a very small step for Christmas... but it's one great leap for me.

Actually, aside from the tree, three major things have happened this year.
LB was born, I became French, and - unexpectedly - I got all maternal.
Nobody is more surprised by this than me. Maybe it's the fact I now have two kids, so the balance has shifted... maybe it's simply that I don't have enough time to spread my thoughts as far as I used to. Something had to give, and, because I can't give up the "me" time, it's the time and energy devoted to work matters that is set to suffer.

So, now that Christmas and I are starting to get reconciled, am I allowed to make a Christmas wish list?
There's just one item on there at the moment:
Please could I discover (within the next 4 weeks) a lucrative professional activity that I can carry out from home. It should preferably be enjoyable, fulfilling, not time-consuming and compatible with childcare.

Answers on a postcard please. Or alternatively, you can just slip the solution into a stocking and leave it under my little tree...

2 comments:

Les canadiens said...

hummm, let me think a bit...
What about translating stuff from english to french or vice versa?
Sorry, that was an easy one:-)

Shirl said...

So easy I nearly missed it ;-)
See you soon on Skype?