AVIES HOME MADE CHISTMAS

LOVE AND LOGISTICS

If during the mad rush towards the great day you had the time to stop and consider the amount of raw materials required,and all needing to be acquired to produce the traditional Christmas day you could well be reduced to a gibbering wreck.

There are ways to alleviate the problem,prevent the last minute death march round the supermarket and give you more time for the important things,like having a game with the children or a quiet drink with your partner.

Order your Christmas meat,be it turkey,beef,gammon or goose as soon as possible and arrange to have it delivered on the 22nd or 23rd of December. This means that you will not have to heave a huge hunk of meat around with you when you shop. It also give you a fails safe so that if for some reason your meat does not arrive you still have time to replace it . Do not worry about the missing bird,if the provider fails to deliver it to you on the specified date then he must refund you at once.

You do not have to order fresh meat from a butcher, most super markets deliver and you can book a slot in advance. Even if you do not normally have your goods delivered it is well worth doing so on the last two shops before Christmas,things like tea ,coffee washing up liquid, all the run of the mill stuff that can easily be forgotten if the frantic hunt for last minute gifts or dashing round the neighbourhood with cards.

I leave only the fresh fruit and vegetables until the last day or so,I find that cuts the job down to size.

I know I bang on about supermarket meat but there are some things even they do well and if you are worried about G.M , Iceland guarantees that all its own brand products are G.M free, that’s rare these days.

Don't be tempted to over shop,all that will result if a full dustbin,these days the shops only close for a couple of days at least. Last year a friend of ours rang in a panic on Christmas morning because his turkey was still rock solid and he he had ten guests for dinner. All was not lost,many halal butchers open on Christmas day and a short drive to the nearest town produced a perfect bird and saved the day.

Try a market stall ,farm shop of green grocer the quality will be better and the cost may even be less.

One more thing, a request. I know that times are tough but please,please spare a thought for the homeless. It is, as Dickens said at this time of year that want is most keenly felt and abundance rejoices. A small donation, anything at all is better than ignoring this problem. If cash is short then old clothes are always welcome at places like “Crisis at Christmas”.

I know it can be difficult to relate to a smelly old tramp ,but think of this,they were all children too,they had family and friends. They loved and were loved in turn,as we love our own children.

It is all in too easyto fall into such desperate poverty,any one of us,any of our beloved children could so easily become homeless. I Hope with all my heart that if such a thing should happen to my son that someone would care enough to help,if I was no longer there to do so.

Even the small change in your pocket can make a difference, and a hot meal can be a turning point for someone on the edge, and wouldn't you fell so much happier as you ate your Christmas dinner that someone else was feeling the warmth of hot food and the knowledge that someone cared a little. Thank you....Love Avie.