Glorious Gifts

I thought I would post a few pics of some of my lovely presents that I received this Christmas.  

Christmas can get overwhelming at times and its easy to forget the true meaning and think about the things that really matter (such as....... exactly what time does M&S open their doors on first day of sale and will I ever receive that red Louis Vuitton hat box or should I put that dream well and truly to bed). 

Joking aside, Christmas (for those of us slightly less religious people) is about love and family and sharing some great moments together.  I always feel a little sad at this time of year when you seem to be reminded even more about all the people that are not so lucky.  I visited an elderly gent in a nursing home on Sunday. It's an old man that I have known for maybe 10 years, that I used to live near before I moved to Bristol.  I used to watch him struggle past my flat in Weston-super-Mare with his bag of shopping or his washing on the way to the launderette.  It took me weeks, months even to pursuade him to let me help him and little by little he allowed me to do odd jobs for him.  We are still in touch although I don't have as much time as I would like but visiting him this week and seeing a smile on his face was one of the nicest things I've witnessed this Christmas. He has little or no family and wants for nothing apart from someone to sit and have a chat with, and that's what we did. 

So, as lovely as all these gifts are, remember boys and girls - it's experiences that really matter.

Now about those presents................................

One of my favourite (ever) presents.  I won't mention the benefactor as she will get enormously embarrassed but I will say this - year after year, she gives good gift and I am shamefully un-creative in return with my gifts.

A lovely coffee table book about fashion through the ages. I would put on a coffee table if I thought for one minute that the dog wouldn't chew it and anything on it, to pieces.

This was from John's mum.  She has a very similar necklace that I "coo" over every time she wears it and I am very touched that she got me a replica.

Red plant pots!  Not at the top of everyone's gift list but I love looking at fresh herbs on my kitchen windowsill while watching the birds in the garden.  In the absence of fresh herbs however, plastic plants from IKEA will fill the void until a Tesco's can be reached.

Eskimo socks.  This to me is a very exciting present because for most of my life I seem to wander around as warm as a block of ice.  I am of the desert and HATE the cold.  So these have become my new best friends.  Only to be worn in the safety of one's own home of course and I challenge any door to door salesmen to stay chatting at the front door when greeted with these babies.

So there you have it.  A round up of my 2012 favourite presents.  And for those of you that thought it would all be shoe-based......shame on you.