Dashing through the snow...

...in a one horse open sleigh, o'er the fields we go, laughing all the way, ha, ha, ha! The whole wintery Christmas theme is a bit bonkers here (although it's pretty brrrr today). But that doesn't stop me. I think I'm a sucker for the kitsch element in things like fake snow and fat men in hot, synthetic red suits on 30 degree days.  I love this festive season business but I've recently become aware of some Grinches among us. People who like to suck the fun out of it all. You probably know a few or have at least been ambushed by them in the streets. You know the kind. The ones who huff and puff and demand to know if you're "all organised because we've only got xyz number of days to go". The people who complain about having to share the day with family. The folk who hate buying gifts for loved ones because it costs too much (often just before bragging about some large, extravagant, self indulgent un-necessity they've just purchased with money they "don't have") These Grinches can sometimes be heard waxing lyrical about going bush and forgoing Christmas altogether. They never do, though. I think they secretly relish in the festive season because it gives them lots to complain about.
Now, don't get me wrong, there a plenty of things about the festive season that get up my nose, too (up and above the Grinches, that is). I get the grumbles in October when I see tinsel creeping in to the shops. And come on folks, wait 'til December to put the tree up! I'm wetting my pants with exitement at the prospect of whacking a great big pine tree up in the loungeroom, but I WILL wait. Then there's the junk, the utter landfill all the shops are peddling.
You can recognise it by it's fancy packaging and the brand names you've never heard of before. This Christmas landfill comes in many forms. There's the glossy gift packs of body products filled with toilet cleaner frangranced, toxic liquids masquerading as something far more upmarket. Closely related to these are the food hampers containing preservative ridden, nasty shortbread, coffee you wouldn't serve to your least favourite second cousin on Christmas day and chocolate which would give the bulk Easter stuff a run for it's money in the nasty stakes. Disturbingly, I imagine most of these packs are bundled up and stashed in a warehouse in February only to re-emerge many months later.
Then there's that stocking stuffer crap they sell as toys. They are the kind of toys that either last until boxing day and rarely any longer OR rate a mention in a post Christmas safety recall in the newspaper. All bad.
I do get a giggle out of some of this Christmas lanfill, though. Enter the novelty electrical appliance. Who's ordered a chocolate fountain from Santa? Probably no one. I sure as hell don't want to dip my strawberry into tepid chocolate that everyone's been double dipping in, including the kids with their nose picking fingers. What about a DIY soft serve machine with sprinkle dispenser or a dutch pancake maker? Absolutely essential cupboard space wasters. One goodie emerged briefly a few years ago and I've been yearning for one ever since. The waffle cone maker. It would make the perfect companion for my much loved, if but seldom used, ice cream maker. Imagine a decadent scoop of white chocolate macadamia ice cream in a choc dipped waffle cone...all homemade. Mmmmm.
Because I'm such a Christmas tragic I've become quite adept at filtering out these Grinchy bits. When my Mum declares for the umpteenth time that she hates Christmas I politely tell her I don't care.
When I open up the Big W catalogue and find six pages of Christmas landfill, I persist. Within this volume of trash I can always manage to find just the perfect thing for a loved one, or at least initiate a train of thought which will lead me to the perfect gift.
When someone tells me they've finished all their shopping and got all the decorations up and that I'd better get a wriggle on, I smile and think about how all their fun is over until the big day, while mine has but just begun. When someone tells me they've no idea what to get for so and so, whatsisname and thingimyjig I direct them to the Buninyong Makers Market next Saturday followed by the Daylesford Makers Twilight Market on the 18th. At both I garuantee no lanfill and nothing mass produced. Anyone receiving something purchased at either market is a very lucky ducky.

I had my double whammy market weekend over this Saturday and Sunday just gone. Saturday was very wet but the Christmas spirit was so thick you could cut it with a knife (one with a decorative Santa handle, of course). Carols rang out and we all felt very festive. Come Sunday after a last minute venue change I was on a market roll. Lots of people both big and little trundled through the Sugar and Spice market stopping to bop along to some music and have their faces painted. There was a great vibe and it was nice to catch up again with all the market folk. It's becoming a little community now and it's really nice to chat to like minded people. I even got some Christmas shopping done.
I've been doing a bit more navel gazing and I think I might redirect the buntyandsars bus down a slightly new road. This road is lined with kids and kids at heart. Scattered across it lay many a papery play thing and I'll be picking them up along the way. By this I mean I want to expand the colouring range and introduce some different paper toys. Toys that will evoke and create beautiful childhood memories. These new ideas are developing and evolving at a rapid rate and I'm getting exited. Wish me luck wrangling enough hours to develop all this and bring on buntyandsars in the new year! (Keep a sneaky eye out for an illustrated childen's book, too... my big dream)
Well, I can hear the dulcet tones of my son as he sings his self composed classic "fart went the bum" which means my blogging time is over.