burntcopper | and there goes any 'argh, I've still got x amount to go!' stress

Hah! Done! All presents, including the secret santa. Frost Fair on Bankside? We love you soooo much. (for the last three years - possibly more - this has been the patented Heather method of christmas pressie blitzing) Clicked the play.com order button, which covers another three (two were iffy unless I saw something better at Frost Fair) :deep breath: Turkish delight, fudge, chocolate shot glasses, two pairs of earrings, one lapel pin, one t-shirt, marzipan, one bangle comprised of beads, two stamps, one penguin cushion and a wooden mouse. Plus a bracelet for moi. As usual, I saw so much more in the way of stuff that I wanted - there was a necklace made of overlapping silver leaves that was making me dribble something chronic, and pretty scarves and gecko wall pieces and glasses and ... fortunately, I do not have that much money.

Pies. Mulled wine. Southwark council people going round trying to get rid of mini bars of Green and Blacks. Rather bad sherry being pressed on us by some wine bar who had a stand there. Pretty silver frosty people doing the glass ball play thing (see David Bowie in Labyrinth), some on stilts, snow queens on giant fluffy white ostriches, Arctic Explorers with terribly posh accents who kept saying 'mustn't grumble', santas on stilts, dixie jazz bands and sax quartets and gospel choirs. Ice sculptures of pine trees and seven-foot polar bears and emperor penguins and angels and ickle baby bears. Hee. Crowds bigger than last year, including a bunch of office workers who'd come down the riverside for their lunch and had triumphant expressions of having got several pressies out of the way as well as 'oooo, pies, ooooo, chimichanga, oooo, organic burgers, oooo, jamaican jerk chicken', though it was a pity that Shakespeare's Globe is only going to be open this year on sat + sun (went and dribbled over the stuff in their gift shop. It will be mine. ALL OF IT.) Lantern parade by the local schools was about the docks and what had been brought in by trade - ships and gems and spices and fruit and silks. Really, really cool. Though we admit that we're a tad confused about the mice lanterns.