exciting, informative, snarky, and very likely fabricated tales of life as an american expat in london

christmas countdown

by Jen at 3:40 pm on 22.12.2006 | 1 Comment
filed under: holidaze

It’s that time of year again – when everything grinds to a halt in anticipation of Christmas. Work is left idle as people skive off milling about, eating chocolates and chattering about holiday plans. The supermarket cupboards are bare of anything except the essentials as people stock their trolleys with fixings, sweets and wine. Even the drugstores are picked clean of stocking stuffers and greeting cards. the whole country prepares for 11 days of national vacation, and not a lick of anything will get done until after the new year. i’m at work from the 27th to the 29th, but the office will be a veritable ghosttown.

it’s kind of nice, this collective break – where everyone agrees to take things easy, relax into family time, and allow daily stresses to fall by the wayside. it’s a bit like snowdays from school – everything non-essential is cancelled and people snuggle in for the duration.

adding to the feeling of luxurious indolence has been the fog of the past few days. I love fog -it makes the city more peaceful, more intimate. it softens the edges and envelops you in a cocoon of romantic mist like something from a victorian novel. and for the past 3 days it has been as thick as cotton wool, but with a cold bite to it – the snap in the air finally makes it feel wintry and christmassy.

the clinging clouds combined with the creeping slowdown of city life sets the atmosphere for the coming holiday. moods lighten and anticipation hangs in the air with the thickening fog. and with the weekend fast approaching, let the festivities begin!

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1 Comment

  • 1

    Comment by Avril

    22.12.2006 @ 16:39 pm

    have a great christmas jen and see you in the new year.

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