Woo! I hope you all had a nice time!

I'm just back from Christmas at my parents house. It was good. We went to see family and some of my parents friends. I don't normally enjoy visiting people on Christmas day too much (because I'm normally full of turkey and have to go out when I'd rather be digesting and napping), but I really enjoyed it this year. Maybe I'm just getting older. But I liked it, because everyone was in a good mood and having fun because it's Christmas. Also, I think my Dad enjoyed it too, because my uncle plied him with brandy (lots and lots of brandy), and then we got to watch for about 20 minutes as they both tried (and failed) to open up my uncle's dining table ready for Christmas dinner.

Highlights from the presents side of things include an electric whisk from my parents (now I can bake cakes! If I have the motivation!); a book on local history from my grandparents (I am so chuffed); and a copy of my favourite film of 2009 from my parents.

The best present though came from Jackie, my parent's friend who passed away recently.
She was always very organised when it came to presents, and this year she bought and wrapped her presents a whole month before she died. So, come Christmas, there was a present waiting for me. And do you know what it was?

A bottle of perfume.

And not just any perfume; we could tell as soon as I'd unwrapped it, just from the smell - it's the perfume that she always liked to wear. I thought that was a really nice thing to receive.
But, not only that. When we saw her husband the next day, he told us that it wasn't something she'd gone out and bought for me; it was a bottle that she'd bought for herself. There must have been a point where she realised that she didn't have long left, and, thinking that she wouldn't be able to use it herself, she passed it on to me.

What a beautiful thing to receive.

I feel really privileged. It's not the sort of perfume that I'd normally use, but in this case, I'm going to wear it with pride.

♥