My Christmas by Sue Moorcroft

Over the holiday period, I give myself time off to see family and friends (OK, and to eat too much of the wrong foods). Usually, this means finishing work on Christmas Eve and restarting around January 2^nd. I spend Christmas Day quietly with close family, and take part in two bigger gatherings, one with each side of the family - Boxing Day plus one other day. 

These larger gatherings have been affected by restrictions over the past few years and they’re getting harder to accomplish as the family gets bigger and members have commitments of own. I also reserve time for coffee with friends, as it’s possibly the only time of the year when I’m not calculating how long before I get back to work, because of deadlines.

For this post, I thought I’d write about my Christmas likes and dislikes.

Like: time. Time for family and friends, time for reading, walking, or just staying in bed late. Time for all the conversations that are otherwise not had.

Dislike: stress. If everyone was just sensible about their grocery shopping, then the end of the world would not come. There really is no reason to be at the supermarket every day for ten days, wearing a worried expression and filling a shopping trolley to the brim.

Like: family gatherings. I have time (that word again) to catch up with the lives of nieces and nephews and their kids, to swap news and views and enjoy the sensation of being part of a larger tapestry.

Dislike: gender issues. There’s something about these big family gatherings that makes men regress into the first half of the twentieth century. They sit in one room chatting and watching TV while the women do all the work in the kitchen. It’s got to stop.

Like: chocolate. In my house, Christmas could be renamed Chocolatemas. Unfortunately, despite being a chocoholic, over consumption does affect my migraines. Happily, this does mean that I have chocolate left when others have eaten theirs.

Dislike: calories. I seem to only just get my summer holiday weight off when I put my Christmas weight on. See above re. chocolate. Calories should be given time off, too.

Like: watching present unwrapping. This is particularly true of watching children get excited as they rip the paper off.

Dislike: wrapping presents. Curmudgeonly, I know, but I hate it. I could use gift bags but then I don’t get the same pleasure of watching the present unwrapping.

Like: Christmas books. I enjoy reading them and begin in September. I’m also lucky to have Christmas books published in several languages each year. Here’s 2022’s.  

Dislike: taking down Christmas decorations. By that time, I’ve lost enthusiasm and want Mary Poppins to come along and whisk them away for me.

Like: my new publication. I love people telling me that they’ve given or received my latest book. What a privilege to be involved in other people’s Christmases! I’m often asked for signed books to make gifts special, too.

Dislike: games. I honestly don’t mind you playing Pictionary or Scrabble. You have to not mind me not doing it.

Like (because I don’t want to end on a dislike): parties. I’m lucky enough to be able to attend parties given by my publisher, various chapters of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and even local writing groups. A glass of wine, some nibbles and good company, and I’m happy.

I hope that you, too, find more to like than dislike about Christmas, or whatever your winter celebration might be.

Here’s to happy times.

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has reached the #1 spot on Kindle UK and Top 100 Kindle US. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. Published by HarperCollins in the UK, US and Canada and by other publishers around the world, Sue’s Summer at the French Café (Avon, HarperCollins) was published on 12^th May in paperback, ebook and audio.

Part of a British army family, Sue was born in Germany and then lived in Cyprus and Malta before settling in the UK. She left Germany at only six weeks old but has since learned enough German to order beer (several kinds).