Tis the season ...

To write cards and start the gift wrapping. Now I love Christmas and I love the idea of sending traditional cards to friends and loved ones and wrapping each carefully thought out gift beautifully. However, for me, the reality is that I hate doing both those things.

What starts out with me feeling all happy and festive, ends up with me frustrated and losing the will to live. Now I love a perfectly wrapped present under the tree but, unless the gift is in a box, it's not going to happen. Square things I can cope with but give me anything else and it ends up looking like a Tracy Emin exhibit. Fortunately my partner in candle crime, Tara, is a whizz with the old wrapping paper and cellotape so she very kindly wraps my gifts for me.

Christmas cards, in all fairness, I enjoy writing but always forget to post or give out so I've now got several years worth to the same people just sitting there waiting to reach their intended recipients. I'm going to try harder this year but I'm making no promises!