What is it about Christmas that encourages splurging out? You spend loads and think that you have finished and then you spot something else and you feel compelled to buy it because it would be a perfect gift for someone special and you just have to get it as it will make their Christmas. I have to say that I have been very good so far and have pretty much finished and have wrapped up everything I have bought. Yes I am quite aware that it is still November but can anyone actually say they enjoy roaming round the shops mid December in the bustling crowds, everyone looking for what you are looking for. There is never anywhere to park and there is always huge queues at the tills and flustered staff serving you who are counting down the minutes and seconds until they can remove the fixed smile from their faces and go home to a nice chilled glass of wine and a bubbly bath. I can say that with complete conviction as I happen to be one of the afor mentioned staff.

I have managed to escape this hell by buying of the amazing invention the Internet. Where else can you get someone else to trawl the shop for you, package it and send it to you and all you do is provide them with the money and you can sit there in the comfort of your home and listen with joy to the tales of peoples weekends spent traipsing round shops looking for the same items you have bought, and you smile with more pleasure as you realise you got it for cheaper. Do you reveal your little secret and say "How much?, I got it for this amount and didn't have to queue for 3 hours and go to 4 different stores" or do you keep it to yourself as you realise that it doesn't matter anyway as that item you bought will be less than half price anyway on boxing day. If only the Christmas sales came before Christmas, but that would be a bit of a scrooge thing to do. However I do find it slightly irritating that the shops put the prices up on items just round this time just to squeeze the last bit of profit from each and every item. I kid you not that the price of a sprout goes up by 75p a pound.

Why am I being such a Bah Humbug, I love this time of year and I become the biggest snoop there is. I love finding out what everyone is buying each other. I also rather enjoy the crisp icy mornings snuggling down into your scarf watching your breath rise in swirls. This probably completely contradicts my last post but I suppose as the season draws in it grows on you and everything smells so fresh after snow or ice. The winter can never beat the summer though with its warmth and glorious happiness. I think that's why the end of October and beginning of November are always the times when people moan about the weather as it doesn't know what it should do so it rains all the time.