Before I start, I have to say thank you to Nicky Keep who sent me a picture of the above jumper when she was shopping in Sainsbury’s – I rushed straight out to find one!
It’s my last day in the office and I’m hoping to log off for two whole weeks so that means that this is probably the last post of 2018. I haven’t really had a chance to look back at the year yet but I feel as though I’ve reached the end of some kind of race and I’m limping… but still smiling.
It’s the eldest’s birthday today so we’ve just been out for lunch to celebrate and I gave myself a quiet pat on the back for 22 years of mothering. We then took our reverse advent calendar to the Food Bank which was a sobering experience. I just can’t believe that so many people in the UK are facing such daily hardship.
You never know quite what a year’s going to bring you do you? After an easy, breezy 2017, 2018 has been challenging for us. It began with the death of a friend in the first week of January, was punctuated by the news of another friend’s terminal diagnosis in the middle and rounded off by the sudden, shocking loss of my brother-in-law.
I often talk about ‘upsiding’ on here – turning a situation upside down to find a positive. It’s not so easy with a year like this one but there is an upside. We’re more aware than ever of what’s truly important – we’ve been reminded that as long as you have the essentials, it’s not the ‘what’ you have in life that matters but the ‘who’. Although this Christmas will have its difficult times, especially when we go across to Newcastle, the happy moments we have together will be extra precious.
Christmas is always loaded with expectations both of good times and good things. Sometimes it helps to remember that going by the law of averages, not every Christmas can be a good one. If yours turns out to be one of the disappointing ones this year, just remember that Dickens style, Christmases future will be all the brighter for the memory of it
I hope you have a fantastic time with your favourite people though. During the fortnight ahead I think we all need to disconnect and live in the moment because who knows what ‘excitement’ 2019 is going to bring, especially for those of us in the UK!
When I hit that quiet Twixmas period before the New Year’s festivities begin, I’m going to take a bit of time to reflect. Mr MC and I will be doing the Twixmas Walk that I included on here a few years ago (if you’ve just clicked through, those were the days when the youngest didn’t tower over me!). There’s a village with a cosy pub that’s just the right distance away so we’ll talk everything through on the way out and then enjoy a bottle of red wine in front of the fire when we get there. A lot of people are saying to me that they aren’t bothering with any New Year’s resolutions this year because “we’re all going to hell in a handcart anyway.” My personal aim is to accept the things I can’t control whilst trying to change the things that I can and want to.
Looking ahead to January, I always really enjoy writing Midlifechic in the first part of the new year. While fashion sleeps, we have a chance to get on and discuss all kinds of interesting things that are peculiar to us at this particular stage of our lives and I’m looking forward to getting that conversation going. Until then, I want to thank you yet again for reading Midlifechic. So many of you have jumped in with support during the more difficult months of this year and you’ve often helped me to feel that my problems are shared. This blog means so much to me but it takes a lot of my time and without all of you reading and talking to me, I’d have given it up long ago.
So if I could be a midlife fairy godmother to each and every one of you, what would I wish for you?
I would wish you a contented Christmas… I hope that you feel happy with who you are and what you have. It may not sound like much in this aspirationally driven world but actually in my view, true wisdom lies in knowing when you have… and are… enough. And if you don’t feel that way then maybe it’s a good starting point for January – perhaps we can talk about it on here.
And with that thought, I will leave you until 2019, wishing
a contented Christmas to all… and to all a good night!
Disclosure: ‘A few thoughts about Christmas’ is not a sponsored post
Midlifechic Christmas inspiration posts
Sale prepping – my best high street winter buys
What I’ve been wearing and doing this week
Finishing touches – little things to make Christmas extra special
Midlife lately – what I’ve been doing, wearing and thinking
New Christmas outfit ideas from M&S
Everything Christmas at John Lewis & Partners
Christmas party wardrobe planning
Sales that have started
Superdry starts here tonight at 8pm (21st December)
Mango – 30% off everything here with code VIP18
Boden – up to 50% off everything and free delivery over £30
Baukjen – up to 60% off everything here+ extra 15% off sale dresses with code FAB15
Mint Velvet – up to 50% of everything here
Pure Collection – sale starts here
Claudia Bradby – 20% off all orders with code MIDLIFECHIC20
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