Christmas

I said previously that I would blog about a few of my favourite things , and as it is December it only seems right to write about something that I really love.

Anyone who has had even a tiny bit of interaction with me will know that I love Christmas , but to be honest it's not the actual day that I love , but the build up throughout December.

Starting from 1st December when traditionally the decorations go up at our house ( although this year I was a couple of days early , oops ) . The theory with us is that Christmas costs quite a bit , as do some decorations , so why not enjoy them for as long as we can ?

Then the gift buying , although again , some of this is actually done before December to beat the online rush !! I like to choose thoughtful presents , not always what is on someones list , but maybe something that they have mentioned in passing that they like and I have remembered .

I also love wrapping up .Paper and wrapping doesn't have to cost loads to be pretty , some years I actually went down the 'potato printing' route , on brown paper and tied up with string. This year I had 2 rolls of paper left over from last year , Nordic red & white style , tied with red & white butchers string , way cheaper than 'Christmas' bows or ribbon but pretty and unusual.

Christmas food is another great thing. I only tend to eat mince pies on Christmas day & boxing day and the same with pudding ( this year it is Mums homemade one !!). I find if I've eaten mince pies from when they first appear in the shops (Easter) then I am fed up with them by the actual day !!

A family tradition is to have an Indian takeaway on Christmas Eve with a glass of rich mulled wine , made with aromatic spices and a dash of brandy. This first started when Mum used to get in from work tired and didn't fancy cooking and we've kept the tradition since then.

Then comes the turkey , a huge bird , as big as we can fit in the oven . stuffed with stuffing and tons of sausage meat put in the oven at about midnight and cooked on the lowest heat possible all through the night. We wake up to the most amazing smell in the morning and a huge part of Christmas for our family. One year Mum tried cooking it when we got up and it wasn't cooked when we were ready to eat & we all missed the smell .

We open our stocking gifts before breakfast , in our pjs before croissants and bucks fizz  and then a chilled out day with dinner at about 3pm and some more presents through the day as the mood takes us !!

But as I say I do love the build up , the organising , the whole atmosphere , maybe because I am quite bossy. I almost feel a bit lost when I haven't got as much to do !!  


I do understand that for some people it isn't the easiest time of the year , they are missing loved ones or under stresses but whatever you are doing this Christmas I hope that it is a happy and healthy one xxx

Can I Ask You A Question ?

So this blog originally was going to be about a totally different subject but as I go on you will see why.

A few months ago I set up a survey at Survey Monkey entitles 'Why did you follow?' It was only 5 questions long , with options for males and females singularly.

Basically I wanted to find out why people choose to follow other people on Twitter, does a pretty / sexy avi draw in people  , is it subjects that you have in common  or is it that other people that you know follow them and you are interested too?

Simple you might think , nothing scary and no personal information like my last survey on attitudes to porn in 2013 which got 50 responses!!

So how many responses did I get you are asking ?

13 !! Yes only 13 !! 6 male and 7 female so not exactly a broad cross section of the public and certainly not enough to get a proper response , so a change of blog topic needed I think !!

What is it about surveys that puts people off filling them in ?

I must admit I do not like survey people in the street or on the telephone. Mainly because if I am walking down the high street I usually have somewhere I need to be and haven't got the time to stand in the cold and answer random questions to a stranger. also the telephone ones usually call when you are cooking or doing something useful and who actually knows who is at the other end of the line ?!

But the occasional online survey doesn't bother me. If I can help someone or improve a service to other people just by giving 5 minutes of my time in between Tweeting or playing Candy Crush ;0) then why not.

Obviously if the survey turns into page after page after page or stuff that I really don't need / want to tell anyone then I just click the close button , no harm done.

I really wonder how the television show 'Pointless' manages to get 100 people randomly to answer there questions for the show. Apparently the people who answer them don't know they are for the show but 100 people per question is good going !!
 
 And just in case you were wondering ( I know you were) a sexy avi pic will only get you dm pictures of penises not nice Twitter followers. Generally someone sees some of your tweets and thinks you are interesting , they know you in 'real' life or you follow mutual people , simple as that . But then that IS just the response from 13 people :0) xxx