Christmas 2018

I'm going to struggle with words for this, but I feel I could benefit from trying to get some thoughts out of my head.

December 2018 has quite simply, been weird.

Every December, I take the first week off work, to get "Christmas" sorted. And I take a trip to Edinburgh to see the Christmas Markets, visit my palm reader, and have lunch with some of the family.

This year, I had my trip to Edinburgh. My husband and I decided to stay over too, so it was a nice break from the grey of Aberdeen - we upgraded our hotel with Clubcard points, and stayed in a rather more extravagant place than our usual Travelodge. Intended to have a romantic night away but with work and the like, we're both so shattered that we just crashed! But in Egyptian Cotton sheets instead of budget hotel ones!

It was a lovely gathering - meeting family. It is my favourite event of the year, Christmas, and to see my people just makes it so.

My palm reader gave me the push that I need right now. I don't want to say too much about that - her words are for me, no-one else.

After the trip to Edinburgh, my husband had to go to Dubai for work. Deep down, I didn't really want him to go. I tried to keep that to myself, but I think he sussed. It's not fair for him, I know. He wasn't overjoyed at traveling at this time of year, and stupid me made him feel worse about it. It's his job and I accept he has to travel, I have never considered it an issue. I actually quite like when he's away because I get to have the house to myself, and just veg out. But something about this trip just prickled me, and I felt "funny" about it.
In typical fashion, the goalposts of the trip continually changed. The return date changed a few times, then they wanted him to go via Egypt. Any other time of the year, would have been a split second of annoyance and then acceptance. He has to do what he has to do.
But this time of year.... Anyway - He is due to finish the work today, and then get a flight tonight which gets him back to Aberdeen around lunchtime tomorrow. Christmas Eve.

Thankfully, as a whole, we were quite well organised for Christmas. But in his absence, I have finished the present-buying, wrapped things, decorated the house, planned and bought all the Christmas food and drink, and almost got the house in a reasonable state for visitors!
We are hosting Christmas Day for all the parents, which I have been really looking forward to.

Except now, I have a hell of a cold bug going on. We're talking swollen glands, puffy face, bunged up nose, throbbing headaches, coughs, runny nose, sore throat, dizziness, skanky eyes... How can a nose be bunged up, yet dribbly at the same time? I'll never understand that. I really don't want any grown ups top get ill. My husband will no doubt catch a traveller bug off the plane - he always has a couple of days of a cold when he gets back from somewhere, but this doesnt last long. But the grown ups, I don't want them to get ill.
So chances are, Christmas Day I will be quarantined in my bedroom with Netflix. After all this prep!

Back to my review of the month - Through all of this, I have also managed to work pretty much every day. There have been a handful of issues that needed attention before the end of the year, and a couple of key projects to finalise, implementations to resolve. Sorry to blow my own trumpet, but bloody nailed it.
There's still plenty more to do before the end of the year but I have a few more office days to go. I only take the public holidays off work see. Save my holidays to when I want to take them.

I have also sent a handful of staff reviews to managers - I think Payroll is one of those areas where if everything goes to plan, no-one thinks about them. Soon as something unexpected happens, then we're high priority. What people don't see though, is all the work that does go on behind the scenes. I'm not sure about blood, but there is definitely sweat and tears! We've had consultants working literally 24/7 to get issues resolved. There is a fabulous element of teamwork across the global team, to get people paid correctly and on time, and a lot of this goes unnoticed. So my Christmas Spirit kicked in, and I wanted managers to know that actually, we're bloody good at it.

I had a works Christmas night out earlier in the month - And I can honestly say that it was the first one in a few years that I enjoyed. I think it is down to my own mental stance, I dont think anything changed work-wise, but I feel in a happier place now, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes me.
I also had a Christmas party night at Belwade! I got the tickets for me and the Hubby, at a time when both of us were feeling a bit alone at work (both of us have quite stand-alone roles at work, and don't necessarily belong to a team) so I decided we should have a Christmas night out. Anyway, he buggered off to Dubai, so I took my Mum and we had a lovely time! The food was amazing and the staff there are just lovely.
Mum stayed in our spare room, which meant I had to fight with the futon to make it into a bed. Jenny 1 Futon 0. I've even managed to fold the damn thing back up again. It doesn't look quite right but it'll do!

I'm pretty much out of steam now. Today I have to have a quick clean of the house, organise the kitchen a bit ready for Operation CookEverythingInTheHouse and take the presents to the husbands parents.

Then tomorrow - Go to work, order pizza for the people that make it in, and then collect hubby from the airport. Home.

The main thing is - We have turkey!

xxx

(Christmas Count - 11)