Dear Secret Santa,

November payday is, for me, the day that Christmas kicks off. I love the whole build up of Advent much more than the day itself. This year, payday has fortuitously coincided with a disaggregated INSET so I have actually taken a day off to start my Christmas shopping.

Before I head out into the cold, I thought I’d sit with a coffee and write a list of what secret Santa may get me for Christmas (if I’m on the ‘nice’ list which, depending on the criteria he uses, might not be a done deal!)

A Monday Vest

Everyone knows to wear a vest on a Monday, even in the height of summer, in my school. My office is in an old building that just refuses to warm up…ever! My current vest is getting a bit threadbare. Talking of vests, I used to have a friend who was born in 1900 and she told stories of how her Mother used to sew her into her vest at the beginning of winter. I love this. We should bring this tradition back.

Lip Balm

All that dry air created as you crank up the heating in an effort to warm up, makes for very dry lips. I don’t think you can beat The Body Shop in terms of variety, efficacy and the fact that there is usually a cheeky voucher to be found online (best value is a way of life for an SBM).

A Mug with my name on

I went through a stage of marking my mug with one of those old Dynamo strips that we all used to mark computer equipment long ago. It meant that it couldn’t go in the dishwasher but who washes mugs these days anyway? For my birthday this year, my IT Manager bought me a Star Trek mug with my name prefixed with ‘Captain’. He knows me too well. I don’t think you can have enough mugs with your name on because they still wander about the school!

A Tea Towel

I know, this one is weird. I love tea towels. I also find a kitchen drawer full of ironed tea towels very calming so this ticks well-being boxes. Each one has a memory, some belonged to my Gran, some were made when my children were at school, others I’ve collected from places visited. If you have enough, each time you pull a new one out of the drawer it reignites the memory. It’s not all stress-free though. A husband who washes his wheel trims with one of my tea towels is risking divorce!

Doubledays

At this time of year there is just not enough time in the day. If I could just have a few doubledays in December please, I think I would be able to keep up with all the work and family demands. Imagine starting work knowing that you have a straight 16 hours to sort everything out? Bliss.

An everlasting notebook

When my Wingman refused to allow me to have a paper diary and insisted I move solely to Outlook (I kept double booking myself). I bought myself a notebook. This notebook has been my friend for over a year and has become more of a scrapbook of ideas, quotes, photographs and events. But, sadly, it is nearing the end and I’ll have to start a new one. Could I just have one that somehow stored old pages online alongside the current paper for me to scribble and glue onto?

So, that’s my list done. I’m off to jostle with the masses and start my shopping…unless… what’s that?…the coffee shop is calling! Mince Pie anyone?

What would you love for Christmas?