It’s coming up to that time of the year again when (according to the song) there are numerous fat geese waddling around fearing for their lives and men all over the world are embracing facial hair to bring cancer into the limelight.

Death and destruction abound.

I recently attended a Vegas-themed party to celebrate the end of the year. It was dichotomy of values it seemed – on one hand the very serious CEO was sprouting on about what a tough year it’s been and on the other, people were gambling at the tables set up (with free chips, though), and dancing around madly in strange parody’s of Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley.

In fact, Elvis did arrive and reminded me of a young designer I work with. He did a creditable job, but also managed to throw in a few Tom Jones numbers – perhaps his Elvis pantsuit sits next to the gold medallion and unbuttoned white shirt in his dress up cupboard.

People are cute, though. Most made some kind of effort to dress in a Vegas sort of way, although it’s quite obvious everyone has a different idea of what Vegas is. There were a couple of cowboys, a few Playboy bunnies and a number of tourists in Hawaiian shirts. And, of course, the ubiquitous Elvis sideburns were in evidence.

The week before, I attended a green living launch and all the guests were asked to wear a touch of green. As everyone arrived in there touch, I was touched at how much effort everyone had made, even if the colour green was loosely interpreted by some.

My birthday is in December and I get irrationally irritated when Christmas decorations appear in shop windows before my special day. Because of this irrationality, I get myself into trouble every single year because I also refuse to go Christmas shopping until I’ve celebrated ME day. So, I often end up doing last minute rush shopping on Christmas eve – which invariably ends up with me in a foul mood and strange gifts sitting around the tree.

I wish I could learn from my mother – she has a present cupboard that she fills up year round. When Christmas arrives, she has stores of delights for all her loved ones. I am simply too much of an instant gratification child. If I find a gift for someone, I can’t wait to give it to them. It’s too exciting – I want to share the joy right this instant!

I’ve spent the last week frantically writing snippets about festive feasts, how to survive the season and staying healthy over December. It exhausted me so I tied off the week by baking (for the first time in years) monstrously evil brownies. I intend to end this lazy (and somewhat painful) weekend with a good dose of Jack Daniels and a good book, and to obstinately ignore even a whiff of Christmas spirit – even if it is disguised as a healthy living tip.