Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The run-up to Christmas can be a joy or a “pain in the neck” depending on your circumstances. I find it a time for reflection, remembering Christmases gone by and loved ones who are sadly missing from the table, making this time bittersweet.

I had my annual meet-up with a few girl pals on Friday evening. Some I have known since the age of fifteen. Most, I hadn’t seen since our last get-together. The great thing is we pick up where we left off, quickly, and that familiar warmth returns, which always makes this get-together worth the effort.

Our conversations are always entertaining because we have so much to catch up on. I also love reminiscing about our younger life, what we wore, what we did and the fun we had – along with our romances, past and present.

We talked about health because, unfortunately, some of us have been having “issues”, this year. And, there have been a few accidents resulting in broken bones, which now take longer to recover from.

And, we chatted about what we desire for the future. But one of the main things I enjoyed was the easy hilarity and naughtiness, which we all still have in abundance and which never wanes.

We are also a bunch of girls who don’t judge each other, which is one of the reasons why we enjoy these meet-ups so much.

The bittersweet moment, this Christmas, is that my youngest son (you can see he wasn’t keen on me taking his pic, here), is still living and working in Asia. It’s been over a year since I visited him in Hong Kong, and he shows no signs of coming back to the UK anytime soon. So, plans may be afoot for his dad and me to visit him in the new year. I am missing him. But he is living his best life, and that is all we could both hope for. Thank goodness for Messenger so I can see and talk to him.

Ours will be a laid-back affair spent with my oldest son. There will also be the odd visit to our local pub, as well as the hub’s annual music event.

Patrick organises this yearly gig at the Peacock in Sunderland (NE, England). It always falls between Christmas and the New Year and sells out, quickly. This is because the musicians are quality, experienced players, which the audience appreciates. And, it’s also an opportunity for people to let their hair down and catch up with old friends, which makes it a lovely gig for him to organise and do.

Thank you so much for reading Midlife and Beyond, for subscribing, too, and supporting this (my blog site), which has been running for just over seven years. I still feel that it is a “work in progress”. This is mainly because of the constant changes to everything connected to my site. This includes keeping up with Internet searches, IT, social media and, of course, AI. I get so much pleasure in writing my posts about style, beauty finds and life in general. It is my passion, I suppose. I hope you enjoy my honest, authentic space.

I appreciate you taking the time to connect. And, your comments are very much appreciated – I know your time is precious.

Merry Christmas, have a joyful, relaxing time whichever way you spend it, and put your feet up!!!!

All the best, Alison x