Just Emma

               Hello, lovelies.          Christmas has come and gone, and the festivities are coming to an end. We’re almost through the Christmas week, where I’ve all eaten far too much, and so much cheese that I am now the missing link of half woman half cheese. I still don’t know what day it is, and am terrified of going into a supermarket, as the last of the shoppers are buying everything in preparation for tonight, New Year’s Eve and the last day of 2020. And never has a year been so eagerly awaited to end. But as we count down to midnight, will next year really be everything we hope it will be? Or has 2020 just been a precursor to the year to come?             Reluctantly, I was standing in the queue of my local supermarket today, and as I waited and waited in the ridiculously long line, I watched the other shoppers as they brought everything that t...

         Hello, lovelies         'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. All the presents are wrapped. Food all laid out ready for tomorrow. All Christmas films have been watched and sherry and a mince pie is being laid out for our magical visitor's arrival tonight. We've done everything necessary for making this Christmas as perfect as possible. But will it be enough?                 This year has been incredibly hard. Money has been tight. The worry about being able to give presents, buy the best foods, and make this Christmas as perfect as possible has been an ever-present fear. But we did it. We have done everything that we can in order to make this Christmas the best one ever. We’ve worked so hard. Lived with the stresses and strains of everything this year has thrown at us, and here we are on...

                 Hello, lovelies.           It’s a week before Christmas, and every shop is full of shoppers. Presents are being bought and wrapped and posted out to all our nearest and dearest. Decorations are being hung, and houses are being cleaned all in readiness for next Friday. But is all the effort worth all the fuss? Can’t we just celebrate the way we are? Do we have to put the extra effort in? Should we really be trying to keep up with the Jones’s? Or is Christmas really about being who you are and using what you have?             As I was walking my dogs today, I marvelled at all the decorated houses. Each house was more decked out than the last. Large inflatable Santa’s. Light up candy canes. Flashing stars. The houses all looked like their owners are ready for Christmas. And I thought to myself, will I ever be ready? My house was beautifully clean...

                Hello, lovelies.      We’ve had eleven months to work out what it is we actually want for Christmas. And now is the time to tell those who want to buy us something that we want. But what is it? Perfume? A tie? Soap on a rope? What is that one thing we would really like? The list is endless of all the gifts on offer, but what is the one thing that would make us happy? Or is there nothing we want or need? Is the one thing we dream of the one thing you can’t buy in any shop? Are we being difficult? Or is it about time we change the Christmas present  giving traditions?             I hate and dread buying presents for people. I’m rubbish at it. I always want to find that one perfect gift, and trawl through the shops and online, but never find anything close to the perfect present. So, I always end up buying the same old thing, and as my brother will tel...

              Hello, lovelies.        There are 20 'sleeps' until Christmas. Wrapping the mountain of presents has started. The food is being ordered, and the mince pies are being made. Christmas is almost here. But the list of all the things that are waiting to happen before the 25th is growing larger by the day. Sometimes by the hour. Will we get it all done in time? Can we squeeze everything in before we can sit back and enjoy the festivities? Or are we trying to do too much and are in very great danger of missing out on just about everything? Is there a perfect Christmas? Or are we missing the real point of it all?             My daughter has just announced to the room at large that there are only 20 sleeps until Christmas day. That’s 19 days until we have to get everything done. All the preparations, all the planning, everything has to...

               Hello, lovelies.        We’ve all seen the ‘Karen’ videos on YouTube. I’ve spent many an evening watching badly filmed videos of strangers shouting at each other, each holding their phones out in front of them, like a medieval knight brandishing a shield. There’s always shouting, swearing and a huge spectacle for the onlookers. But what is the cost of these crazy ‘Karen’ or ‘Chad’ videos? Are they only there to show the world the injustices of the world, now that we have the ways and means to record them? Or is the video phone now used, with precise accuracy, in a way to intimidate and provoke a confrontation that might not have been there in the first place?             I first became aware of the infamous ‘Karen’ videos on YouTube and I can honestly say that I was outraged and shocked by some of the entitled women...