Dark And Stormy!

There is a lot of weather about.  The rain is lashing down, the wind is blowing the laurels across the street every which way and it is a time for closing the curtains, lighting a candle and snuggling down.  Bear decided it was fine to play football.  Not only did he decide to play football, he was out, in sleet and hard wind, in just a t-shirt.  Normally I let him decide what sort of weather he plays in as part of a life lesson, and I don't nag that much about sweaters and coats.

Today I called him in.  Bear is full of cold, hasn't recovered his appetite and would have to be insane to go out in that weather!.  He was indignant and soaked when I got him inside.

The Tesco delivery came with a couple of subs which were absolutely fine.  I'm sure I've forgotten stuff but I can't face stressing about it.  We will be fine.  After all, the shops will be open on Boxing Day.

I haven't wrapped a present yet, and bear has a lot so tomorrow night is going to be fun.  Actually, it is going to be fun.  I shall set up at the table with something fun on tv and just tootle along.  I've already sorted the 'stocking'.

For those who don't know the story, bear doesn't get a stocking, he gets a pillowcase.  I am against the whole pillowcase thing on principle because it seems very greedy.  We all had one of father's football socks when we were kids and that was plenty.  However one year on the morning of Christmas Eve I panicked when I realised that I hadn't sorted out stocking stuff.  Bear was about three at the time, I can't remember exactly, and DH reassured me that bear hadn't mentioned it and was probably too young to know about Christmas stockings, he was getting a tonne of presents, he wouldn't miss having a stocking.  I was reassured, bear hadn't mentioned it, it would be fine and I wouldn't have to try and find and stock a Christmas stocking in just a few hours in a packed city centre.  Of course, bear waited until bedtime on Christmas Eve to ask about his stocking.

So in desperation I left a pillowcase at the end of his bed and when I started wrapping (I always leave it to the last minute) I shoved a load of the little bits I had into a shoe bag type thing which I think had Ben 10 all over it.  I'd picked up the bag as part of a bundle or for very little and I had thought he would like it as a gift.  So when bear was flat out the pillowcase was swapped for a shoe bag type thing with goodies in it.

This has started a tradition.  Every Christmas Eve bear leaves out a pillowcase and every Christmas morning wakes up to a shoe bag or gym bag with goodies in and the bag is used to take his kit in for PE at school.  This year he has quite a small bag as he has a perfectly good backpack which I am not replacing but he could do with a bag to keep his muddy trainers/football boots in.  It is from my friend, eBay, and I got it personalised.  It looks like this.

Bought from The Premier Gift Company on eBay who had a reasonably quick turn around and seems adequately sturdy for the price.  They don't know I'm mentioning them, which is perhaps just as well.

However it is considerably more stuffed.  I'm sure it will keep bear going until at least 6am.  Well, I say I'm sure, it's more that I desperately hope.