Tuesday 23 December 2025: So, where were we…?

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Ah, Wednesday…

Well, Wednesday was a very long time ago, or so it seems. We also had errands to run, on top of dermatology department light treatment #7. In fact, it was a bit of a rush, and we picked the mother-in-law up as well to take her on one of the errands with us.

To give her an extra treat, we took her to see the Christmas decorations in the village next to ours, always a good show and they’ve even been on the local TV news for their decorations made from recycled gas canisters, old drainpipes, and leftover paint.

When we got back, I had editing to do. And I worked on that until tea was ready. In fact, for much of last week I didn’t surface from the editing job. I literally worked on it ALL DAY on Thursday and the rest of Friday once we got home from dermatology appointment light treatment #8, finally finishing the job at 1am on Saturday morning.

Yup, at 1am on Saturday morning I was able to finally turn my out-of-office on and start my Christmas holiday. Only a week late. As ever, it was a massive weight off, and one job I could have done without while we’re running backwards and forwards to the hospital. But it was another lovely book and I told the author so when I sent it back to him.

We couldn’t stay in bed long on Saturday, despite the 1am finish. Son #2 was coming to take the spaniel for his hair cut, a 2-hour job, plus a 30-minute drive either side. And Son had his work’s Christmas dinner in the afternoon too, so it was a mad rush for him as well.

While they were out, we took puppy with us while we went to get some things for Christmas. The family cards, for a start. We hadn’t even got around to those yet this year. And we had to take it in turns to sit with the dog in the car while we bought each other’s cards too. It was the first chance we’d had to do this. Puppy had a bit of a walk from the car to the butcher and back as we called in to collect our Christmas meat hamper and to wish them all a Happy Christmas.

When we got back, we wrote the cards while we awaited spaniel’s return, then as soon as he was home, we had to go out again and do the big Christmas food shop. When we got home, we had to put all of that away, and then we had to slice each of the meat joints into 3 and freeze most of them. I wrote the labels on the bags while the poet did the chopping.

We had a turkey crown, left intact and put in the fridge, a beef joint cut into 3, a pork joint cut into 3, and a gammon joint cut into 3. We kept a pork out for our Sunday dinner and a gammon for the poet to slow cook. Streaky bacon, sausage meat and pigs in blankets went in the fridge along with a large pork pie. Everything else went into the freezer.

On Sunday, we left the dogs again, delivered the neighbours’ cards, and then headed out to Meadowhall to buy the Christmas presents, for each other as well as everyone else. Some things have already come in the post, but the Christmas present shop is a nice trip for us and one we usually enjoy, even if we do end up spending a fortune and getting stressed out with the traffic.

We were gone for less than 2 hours, probably about 90 minutes, but the puppy acted as though we were never coming back. He was clingy at first when we got home, and he got a lot of fuss. And then he zonked out and was pretty much fast asleep for the rest of the day. Yay! Peace.

Finally, we managed to put the tree up. Only 2 colours of baubles and no lights this year because the puppy is likely to swing from the cable, and we all know how that turns out.

We’ve had enough stress this Christmas already, with hospital appointments, vet appointments, physiotherapy appointments, me working throughout our first week off. And we still had a dental appointment and a hair appointment to throw into the mix to boot. We don’t want the tree falling over as well, or the dog giving everyone an electric shock.

Monday morning, we were back at the hospital, for dermatology department light therapy #10. Session 10 and we’re still not halfway through yet. Home for a quick snack and to collect the dogs, then back out again to the dentist and then the pet shop for the pet stockings. When we got home, we wrapped the presents and the poet put a loaf on and made a quiche for tea. I still had to make a pudding for tea for the next 3 nights and we still had the family cards to deliver.

Next year, I’m stopping client work on the last day of November. Any work I still have to do in December will be my own. That way the only person I’ll be letting down will be myself.

With the editing hanging over me (not this book’s fault, but the one 2 books ago that hobbled its way all through the summer), I was holding up the author and the publisher as well, and while they both no doubt understood, the publisher definitely as they publish hundreds of books each year, for the author his book was the most important book to him and I didn’t want to let him down.

He sent me a lovely email on Saturday thanking me for a ‘fantastic’ surprise for Christmas. We’ll both be back on with this one in the new year.

In the meantime, not one lot of pdf proofs came back from the publisher but two, so I’ll have those to proofread and consolidate in the new year as well. (I have to proofread them then consolidate my amendments with the author amendments and the independent proofreader’s amendments.)

But next year, the cut off is 30 November.

Also next year I want to make festive cookies and hand them out to anyone who’s gone above and beyond for us during 2026. I think that’s a lovely idea and more than once this season I wished I’d done something for all the lovely people who were really, really helpful over the past few weeks. Like the vets, the butchers, the milkman, the nurses at the hospital, and the ladies in our doctor’s surgery, off the top of my head.

Today, we have another errand to run in the morning and I have a hair appointment at teatime. In between, I think the carpets are being cleaned, vegan bread rolls are being made, a trifle will be thrown together, and we’ll be getting the house ready for our guests. We also have to nip out to get buffet food for Boxing Day.

We’re catering for 6 on Thursday and 6 again on Friday, and we have an early morning family walk on Boxing Day too. (We’re getting dermatology department light therapy #12 off on Friday, it’s being held over until the following Monday.)

I have dermatology department light therapy #11 on Wednesday morning and then maybe – maybe – our Christmas will truly begin.

I doubt very much I’ll be on again before Thursday, so I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Thank you for reading. I’ll see you in the new year!