...Sort of...

My lover and I have just had 'our' Christmas. Even when I wasn't in an illicit relationship I've had private christmases as I've tended to do official christmas with my family, while my partners have done the same or we've alternated between families - Either way it's nice to have a private Christmas.

my lover and I are raving carnivores with simple tastes and both like lamb best so High days and Holidays are celebrated with roast lamb dinner. Today's was very simple - roast lamb with roast potatoes and parsnips, boiled carrots and sprouts and proper gravy - lovely!

We've both got rather good at sussing out presents for each other and lots of stockingfillers like magnetic cats, Pooh Bear stuff and a bendy pencil(for him) and puzzlebooks, crystals and worry-dolls (for me)as well as 'just right' books, art stuff and music for each other.

I like to get into festive mood with silly/naughty clothing like saucy underwear and pinny combo, but this year genuinely too tired so spent day in my nightie! Luckily he found that quite acceptable and we had lovely lazy and quite sexy day together.

I've not got up all my decorations, but enough to make it festive. I have fairy lights and lanterns outside. My hallway has a wooden cribset and fairy lights. Living room has mad fibreoptic tree that is like a bare deciduous tree from which I hang baubles. I've also strung fairy lights around walls at picturerail height and have cards up. I also have another crib set that's mad assortment of old figures that belonged to my parents until they got new set. oddly both cribsets seem to be missing Joseph so have shepherd substitute - certain irony of stand-in for stand-in as it were!

One of the good things about doing the decorating later than most people is that it gives me a buzz for my unofficial and official Christmas and I don't get bored of them. I'm a traditionalist so they'll be ther until Twelfth Night - BTW - Can any pedant out there tell me why Epiphany/Twelfth Night is actually thirteenth day?