Christmas Is A Month Away.

It seemed like it would take a month of Sundays to get to Christmas but now, the galloping time has shortened it to just one of them. As I am sitting here, the haze of the festive season is in the air or rather the roof across our yard is covered in a dusting of white frost.

As much as we look forward to Christmas, it has a tendency to sneak up on us. The yardstick of each year is not so much our personal measure of maturity but more the feast at Christmas.

" We'll see you on Christmas. "

has almost become our mantra of family meetings and naturally a measure of time. At times a mumbled grumble is stage whispered into a spouse's ear, but despite it, everyone loves the family affairs. Food to eat at your heart's content and obviously at your stretch pant's leisure. Only a fool wears tight clothing at Christmas...

The call up to deplete your savings is issued daily on either radio or television. Oh yes, the one drawback of this season is the abundance of presents given. Alas, often the present is more about the giver than the receiver. Unless you are still in short pants, there isn't much left that you might want.

And even the short-pants brigade has too much of everything. A savings account would be a better idea.

The universal gift that has stood the test of centuries and is still the favourite all around, happens to be

Money,Cash, Caboodle, Bucks, Dosh.

Most of us have a secret stash of presents that are hidden in a cupboard. Prudently you might have put a little tag with the name of the giver on it, and when they come to visit, you can haul out the present and pretend to use it. I know, that sounds awfully harsh and cold, but most of us are entangled in the polite strictures of our childhood.

As mercenary as a Wedding List sounds, it might not be such a bad idea to start a Christmas list:

• " Bring that lovely cake you make. "
• " Make enough time so that we can spend a whole weekend together as a family."
• " Just bring yourself, and perhaps a salad."
• " Don't forget to bring the Monopoly game with you. Remember the hours of fun and laughter we had last Christmas? "

Biggi