A Cold at Christmas

I refuse to be ill at Christmas. It’s a time to be with family and friends, to eat and drink and watch silly stuff on the TV, not to be dealing with the snot-boggle. Unfortunately this cold virus that is spreading through the country has not deemed to spare me and on Thursday night my throat was full of needles, yesterday my nose started running and today there is the faint inkling of a cough lurking.

So I’m having very easy day. Sitting feet up reading one of my Christmas books while drinking hot lemon and honey.

As for food, there is no turkey or roast to prepare, because as usual, Mike and I are spending Christmas Day on our own.

In past years we would have come back this morning from either son’s or daughter’s house where the whole family would have gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve. This year however was always going to be different, because Mike is waiting for a hip operation travelling was going to be really difficult. 

Luckily we opted to stay at home. And given the advent of the viral snot-bogle that was the best thing we could have done.

Seeing family at this time of year is really important to me and I miss being with them, but this is where feeling not a 100% is an advantage. First my head is so full of wooliness that everything is numbed and I’m only vaguely aware of feeling sad and missing everyone like crazy. If I was thinking straight, there would be moments when the tears welled up and I’d have to go away and be by myself for a while. Also I’d be wanting to FaceTime or WhatsAp for hours which might not fit in with what everyone else is doing.

Secondly, being able to sit and do nothing, is a great advantage when you feel as if some parasite is dredging the energy from your system and feeding it in to their particular version of the national grid. I can’t even talk for too long without beginning to cough.

Thirdly, I have permission to do nothing. There is no pressure.  All the food was already cooked. There is no shopping to be done and no one, but no one does the washing or cleaning on Christmas Day. 

All in all being ill isn’t as bad as it could be. By tomorrow though I’m determined to be up to speed. After all there is the sixth Letty Parker book to finish editing.

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