Despite irate shoppers and mad-eyed drivers threatening to get in one's way, yet again this year I managed to buy Christmas presents, send cards out and even take some of my own advice and bake little chocolate panefortes to give away. While I am thoroughly spent, I do feel a certain saintly glow that I managed some therapeutic baking amidst the chaos.
Now, the only thing left to consider is the Christmas lunch menu. Will I go with prawns on the barbecue with mango, chilli and coriander salsa? Perhaps a seafood paella? Or, if the weather is cool, a slow-roasted Greek-style lamb with vegetables? My daughter has definitely decided on a rasberry meringue for desert, found in the latest Women's Weekly magazine that I bought specially for a craft project my son was supposed to do at school but decided he couldn't be bothered with.
In the end, I'll probably go with all of the above menu items and ignore the fact that mixing seafood and red meat doesn't quite work. After all the excesses of the last month, why not go the whole hog and extend it to the Christmas table? At it any rate, it's not the food that matters, but the fact that all our loved ones are together in one space. When I look around a table where all my beloved sit, I really do feel like the big earth mama, rejoicing in the fact that I am nourishing my brood.
Here's hoping that the festive season treats you well, and that 2013 brings you a joyous table and good health wherever you are.