'I've Been Visited By A 'Secret Santa'!

While this year has been a difficult one it has had its moments when, as if to say 'don't give up old boy' something nice has happened. The day before yesterday my Mum went to put some paper in the re-cycling and found that someone had left a present on our doorstep!

The Mystery Gift!

 The present was not labelled nor was there a card but I knew somehow it was meant for me and was the result of either my writing this blog, my work as 'The Clean Up Man' or a 'ripple' from last years 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' campaign...

Sadly, Mum opened the end of the parcel to see what it was before I could stop her so I already know what is in it but I won't enlighten you all until the big day! I am really pleased to know that 'someone out there' also has the spirit of the season in their heart and shares my wacky sense of humour. I hope they had as much fun 'sneaking up' on my house to drop off the present without being seen that I have when trying to drop cards in people's letterboxes on Christmas Eve! Being a burglar may be a horrid and selfish thing to do but I would not want their 'job' I can tell you! HA HA

It looks like today I am going to have to help Mum with some last minute Christmas shopping but I still have one or two presents of my own to get so that's fine. I am SOOO late this year on competing my Christmas present buying and have REALLY struggled to think of what to buy a couple of my friends. I know there are 'safe' options that I can get but I LOVE to come up with something new, un-expected and different that is just right so have been reluctant so far to buy the 'same old same old'. Still, I am sure my friends would rather have something they like than something different they don't and so I may have to concede defeat this year and 'revert to type'...

Overall, I think I have done quite well this year at keeping Christmas in my thoughts but I can't say I have really felt the 'fuzzy warm feeling' I usually get much. I guess that was always going to be a bit much to ask though this year having lost TWO people who were close to my heart...

Oh well, time to get ready for a days shopping and then I will have my last session of present wrapping to do for this year. I have not written any 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' cards out yet either so if I am to do it for a third year...

'The Result Of Last Years 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit Campaign''

Hi all!

I have just remembered that I have not yet given you any feedback on the result of my 'Spread Christmas Spirit' campaign last year. To refresh your memories, I spent most of Christmas Eve last year walking the streets popping cards signed 'From Santa' into the letterboxes of people I do not know who had made a good effort decorating their homes with lights and decorations. I also dropped off two 'Secret Santa' gifts - one of which was a nice bottle of wine - as gifts to those I thought had made the best efforts of all.

Well, I can tell you that the response I got from people last year was AMAZING! Yes, NOT ONE CARD nor acknowledgment did I get back for my 46 cards and two prezzies! I had to laugh - what a mug I was walking the ends of the earth delivering cards to (hopefully) put smiles on faces over the festive season on a cold winters night! The previous year I delivered a few less cards ( I think - can't remember now?) and got 7 back - some of which I uploaded here but last year my efforts fell on deaf ears...

To be fair, I did deliver the cards on Christmas Eve so there would not be time after that to post me a card back ( my name and address is always on the reverse of each card as I do not wish to scare anyone) but you would have thought that SOMEONE would have written me a letter or sent me a card or note after Christmas to say how much they had enjoyed it or similar, wouldn't you?

Time is going to be at a premium this year and so I don't know if I will get the chance to write out loads of cards like I did last year. I could include my e mail address in the cards or on the back of the letters to encourage a response but the whole idea of my campaign is to try and get people to engage once more in a traditional Christmas - make an effort to do something festive to interact with their neighbours! I HATE the fact that Christmas card writing is dying off and being replaced by those animated e-mail cards ( though they are lovely!) because cards on the walls or on the mantlepiece are part of what make a Christmas scene and a jolly room to open presents in on Christmas Day. Cards everywhere show that you are thought of, loved and valued and are a permanent reminder over the festive season of that. E mail cards are lovely but once you have seen them they 'live' only on the Internet and even then I'm not sure you can keep them forever, can you?

I used to put up ALL the Christmas cards I had EVER been sent when I was a kid each year! Yes, I did! (lol) The last year I did it I had cards all over the entire expanse of my bedroom walls about two thirds of the way down... The walls of my bedroom are decorated these days with posters, badges, picture disc records and all kinds of other memorabilia and so I can't do that anymore but I still have 100's of Christmas cards from my past...

Oh well, let's see how things pan out this year? Having lost two dear friends I am going to have to work at being my usual happy self this Christmas but I'm going to manage it because I know that is what they would want... More soon.