Sneaking in a post before the New Year

Christmas is a trying time for most people, I think. All that over-consumption, economic stress, family stress and time stress. At the end of it, every year, I say I'll do hand-made presents and sometimes I manage one or two. This year I was a little kinder on myself and grouped my presents primarily into about four categories: handmade, anything which promoted creativity, books and tickets to events. (I think the Accountant's mobile phone falls under Other...)

Now, I've entered my New Year preparations - done quite a lot of house-cleaning, made some resolutions, shucked off some burdens. I much prefer New Year to Christmas, the significance of which disipates when one lives with atheists. The New Year, on the other hand, is huge. It's a time to assess and set new guidelines for the year ahead.

I'm tackling this year month by month and January is my month of sustainability. Watch this space...