And so it begins with a Bittersweets NY ring

We don't celebrate Christmas in our family. You have absolutely no idea how much resentment this has bred among us children, even though the reason why we don't celebrate it is an exceedingly valid one (we are Jewish).
For me Christmas had become, until relatively recently, a time I dreaded. Stuck at home feeling lonely, watching the same movies that are always on, eating our traditional egg and chip lunch, while friends received many extravagant presents, covered their houses in glitter and gorged on yummy stuff. I'm sure it would be different without my other-side-of-the-fence rose-tinted glasses, but I was particularly envious of the decorating and the cranberry sauce.
Despite all this, every year I assemble a rather motley Christmas wish list of things I know I will not receive as a minor form of self flagellation.

Here is the first entry for this year;

Bittersweets NY Baby Vamp rings. In silver please.

The past few Christmases have actually been lovely. I have been spending the dreaded day in Yorkshire with my lovely friend B and her lovely family and it has all been log fires and foggy walks in the woods with the dogs, stockings for everyone, excellent food and drink and, most importantly, Very Good Times.
Very Good Times make Very Good Memories, which are more meaningful than extravagant presents. Unless those presents are Chanel.
This year B is doing something amazingly altruistic in Cambodia, and I am very sad to be missing out on the Yorkshire Christmas. But I will be on a beach in Goa having a massage. So it's not that bad...