Early Morning Christmas Cheer

I was dragged kicking and screaming roused from my slumber this morning by a ghastly little elf beautiful child, wishing to advise me that the cat was on the dressing table and should it be allowed?

What a thoughtful child. I mean, it is so much more a reason to wake your mother than "It is the first of December. Can we get the tree out? Can we start decorating? Can I start sending you mad?"

No no no no no... For those she at least waited until I had abluted - but then the onslaught began. The time was 5.43am.

I had to be up - mainly because I don't do going back to sleep very well. But also because we have house guests. I have this old-fashioned approach to house guests - let them sleep, and to ensure that was a possibility I had to exercise some form of supervision - get the "shush" tone set so that she wouldn't escalate into normal 'Salina raised to the power of Christmas.

Old friends of mine who are also friends of 'Salina (depite Girl2 telling her this week that "adults and children cannot be friends").

Old friends (as in I have known them for about 15 years) who also benignly mention occasionally whether they should contemplate children.

I know - I should just let 'Salina loose on them with some pre-6am Christmas cheer and stomp on their suppositions, but I don't know - I like to keep my friends, not scare them away.

I do offer my child as a surrogate during moments of indeciciveness - it sometimes works (and they are all "oh, she is so gorgeous") and it sometimes works (and they are all "oh, lets get a bottle or two of alcohol").

Apparently, she was awake when V did his 5.05 morning ritual, and seeing him awake said "It is the first of December. Can we get the tree out? Can we start decorating?" Despite him being as eager as she, he saw the need to wring as much sleep out of the morning as possible and just told her "soon" and resumed sleeping.

He is awake now - he just asked me if I knew where the Christmas tree was. "Yes" I told him.

'Salina has now completed 3 Christmas games apparently, and is itching to play them with someone!

Oops - must go - although my friends are still asleep, V attempted to wake them by taking a tumble at the top of the back stairs (right beside the spare bedroom window). He spilt coffee all over a floor I only washed this week (okay, and the rain slicked up to the right consistency for his speed-racer thongs to slide on).

Okay, it was because I opened a few windows on the landing at 6 - but I swear, it wasn't raining then. Also, I openly declare to the world that I much, much, much prefer all of the wonders that V offers my life alive (to anything really, let alone pointing fingers at me attempting darling-acide).

It is now 7.30 - the Christmas season has (apparently) officially begun.