You know you need a break when…
Christmas really is my favourite time of year. But sometimes it gets a bit… too much, you know? So much prep on top of keeping normal life jogging along. I’m normally finishing writing a book before my adult kids all pile back home to our Glasgow flat – which I love of course! But the intensity of this time is why I wrote my novel, The Women Who Needed a Break. Because who doesn’t feel like running away from all the shopping and wrapping and cooking sometimes?
In my festive romcom novel, Shelley is sick of her partner contributing nothing to their family Christmas (he won’t even go out and buy the tree, ffs). Meanwhile Pearl’s flat has been taken over by her son’s girlfriend, who seems to have moved in without prior consultation. And poor Lena suddenly finds herself into being roped into hosting her dreadful in-laws…
No wonder the three friends plot a festive escape to the Highlands! Because sometimes it just takes one little thing to flip you over the edge. For instance, you now you definitely need a festive break when…
- The gifts you bought back in September (so organised!) have been swallowed up by your house. And now you’ll have to re-buy them…
- Your partner, who buys ONE present (i.e. for you) says, ‘I don’t know why you make such a fuss about Christmas shopping…’
- Your hairdresser doesn’t have any appointments until January 4.
- The shimmery dress you panic-bought for a party makes you look like the purple one from the Quality Street tin.
- Your partner enquires, casually, if you ‘might have something’ he can give his mum.
- A fancy dress outfit is required with zero notice.
- Visiting teens have snaffled your best gin.
- You’re hoping for a carefully chosen present – and are handed a Superdrug gift voucher.
- At 4pm on Christmas Eve your partner asks, ‘Can I help with the Christmas shopping?’
- The entire world has run out of sprouts.
- Your family is mocking your distinctively lopsided tree.
- One of your homecoming offspring forgot to mention that they are now vegan.
- Someone has been smoking out of the window and broken the window frame (not that I’m still holding a grudge, a decade on…!).
- When you finally get around to arranging cocktails with friends, no one had any time left.
- The dog has peed on your slippers (that’s what I call a cosy crime!).
- Or – worse – snaffled a Chocolate Orange, necessitating an emergency dash to the vet, as happened in our household…
So, what can we do? How can sanity be kept intact? For me, the top emergency measure is to escape from our flat for a phone chat with my best friend, who lives 400 miles away. How much we have to do! The injustice of it all! And who’s going to clean up the dog sick?
Then – suddenly – both of us feel a whole lot better, and we turn our frazzled minds to plotting our next getaway. After all, every woman deserves a break…