Christmas

The annual nightmare of what to do for Christmas struck again. It's great to get a break from work, but every year it's the same panic, plan and , generally, anticlimax as you feel like you have to have a good time because surely everyone else is. This year it was even more last minute than normal. I arranged to go to some friends' house for dinner almost the day before Christmas Eve and while there rang a hotel to book for Christmas lunch the next day.
Christmas Eve was quiet - just 4 of us - very civilised and grown up. The shopping beforehand was slightly less civilised when we couldn't find risotto rice, but it was a very pleasant evening. After dinner I went out with another friend and we met our good friends Jim (Beam) and Jack (Daniels). The after party we went to seemed like such a good idea at the time.
The "mega buffet" sounded good and it wasn't too expensive so it all seemed like such a good idea the night before. That was before the copious amounts of alcohol and the random after party that lasted until 5am. Getting out of bed felt like the worst idea in the world when my alarm went off at 11am. But I managed it - just! Karin wasn't quite so lucky and had to throw up on the way to lunch. Not a great start perhaps.
But the buffet was one of the most random experiences ever. First, it was in a massive ballroom so the atmosphere was more like a school canteen than a nice festive lunch. Next were the mainly Asian waiting staff with Santa hats trying to look busy. Then there was the Colombian band playing Latino music. But the piece de resistance was definitely the Philippino Santa and his band of out of tune carollers. They seemed to stay on the stage for an eternity and in my hungover state I was incapable of getting away!
All in all a very random day.