Friday 31 December 2021

Mind The Gap

At this time every year, reporters with nothing to write about will churn out a piece explaining that the twelve days of Christmas should start on Christmas Day and end at Epiphany [January 6th] Apparently in olden times, people stopped work on Christmas Eve and began nearly a fortnight of jollity and feasting.  Please note, this was only the rich. The poor folk still had to milk the cows, chop the firewood, cook the feasts and do whatever they did the rest of the year. Decent employers gave their staff a second day of on Boxing Day to mark the birth of Christ with their families. [Tesco please note] These days, many people are able to have a few days off after 25th

But in this weird time of working from home, self-isolating, and everything else, we had Christmas falling on a Saturday, so Monday and Tuesday were Bank Holiday. And an awful lot of people have a whole week off - but fewer venues open, so less opportunity to get out there and enjoy yourself. And colds and covid limit family interaction. People are complaining about this gap in their usual social calendar. What do you call such a space?...a recess, a break, a lacuna [from Latin, pit or pool], a hiatus [again, from Latin, a gaping holeI'm not sure about lacuna, it is too similar to the name of Aldi cosmetic range [Lacura] and hiatus always puts me in mind of hernia. 

Whilst I loathe the word crimbo, I will accept it in just this one context [thank you blogfriend Anne for sharing it] in the rhyming reduplication that is CRIMBO-LIMBO

These are definitely quieter days for us, now George is back in Manchester with Steph and Gaz. We had a wonderful time with this toddler, and since his departure have been gradually getting the house straight, replacing nuts in the bowl, and potatoes in the veg drawer and retrieving Duplo from under the sofa. He rearranged many of our decorations for us. Having a small child to stay certainly means that you find joy in unexpected places!





12 comments:

  1. I think the word 'Crimbo' should be moved from the English language.

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  2. I understand your point. I think I will only allow it when hyphenated with limbo.

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  3. Some of my friends call it Twixmas, which I think is just as bad as Crimbo!

    Happy New New to you and your family xx

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  4. I'm not sure where Crimbo came from but it's annoying, I agree though appropriate here. I've heard this period referred to as Twixmas (as in betwixt Christmas and New Year)

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  5. Sorry, Eileen and Kezzie. Can't be doing with Twixmas. That sounds like too much chocolate, and I'm back on the low sugar/low carbs now!

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  6. It was weird having Christmas Day on a Saturday, it felt like a Sunday! Never heard of Crimbo. I did decide on my words for 2022, inspired by your annual choices. I'm going for "Letting go", which includes stuff, commercial e-mails and unrealistic expectations (just dreamed that last one up, where did that come from?). I hope that letting go will make space for new possibilities and better time management!

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    1. "Letting go" sounds like something with great possibilities!

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    2. I found this book very useful with ideas got time management (altho it predates the Internet, so may feel dated now) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seconds-Away-Dr-David-Cormack/dp/094769725X

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    3. Thanks for the book recommendation. A lot of good books were written back in the '80s. I've made a note of it.

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  7. May joy await you both in a multitude of unexpected places this year! A very Happy New Year from our house to yours x

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    1. And God be with you four lovely folk in the days ahead 🙏🎉☺️👍❤️

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  8. I remember when the shops were closed for around four days over the Christmas period, hence the shopping trips to stock up. Now with some shops only being closed for Christmas Day it seems silly that people still buy as much ... and no doubt waste a lot of it. I was pleased to see that the three supermarkets in our little town were at least closed on Boxing Day as well.

    Happy New Year. xx

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