At this time of year our thoughts may be of Santa Claus, children – red-cheeked from fistfuls of sweets – opening their gifts, the turkey that should have been put in the oven 6 hours ago to stand a chance of cooking properly, the forgotten essential ingredients, hosting the entire extended family, running out of red wine mid-afternoon, having to sit through the yet another re-run of the Only Fools & Horses Christmas Special, wondering why all the films at Christmas seemed so GOOD when we were young…
Or, you may be wondering whether you could actually get away with spending the entire holiday in your shed/garage/5 Star hotel in Barbados for a week?
Should you find yourself on your own this Christmas, we have compiled a list of useful online resources to provide all the ‘comforts’ of the holiday period without ever leaving your comfiest chair at home.
Real log fire (all the visual appeal and crackling sound with none of the mess – safe for use in flats and in aircraft)
Winter wonderland scenes (beautiful snow – but feel the monitor… it’s warm!)
Christmas music (a Simon Says… playlist to keep you in the mood. The mood for less Christmas music, probably)
Christmas Turkey (order takeaway and look at the screen while you are eating your No. 53 Special Fried Noodles)
Virtual gift-giving (make yourself feel good and someone else feel even better – give them Christmas lunch and a bed fore the night)
Watch New Year’s Day break around the world (save a fortune in flights, keep your carbon footprint down and let someone else stay up late for you by replaying it later)
Adopt a turkey (show your love for turkey-kind for 2010)
Keep peaceful and simple by keeping it social and virtual.
Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!