Christmas Cakes and Writing
9 Nov, 2011 | What's happening in my writing life
If you are anything like me, the mention of the ‘C’ word in August, sends you into a wild panic! At the end of August, baubles and bows begin to appear in supermarkets and the $2 shops and then, without further warning, the shop windows are filled with tinsel and glitter, toys and trifles and Christmas is fully upon us.
I have purchased not one Christmas gift, cards or special Christmas food yet except for the Christmas cake ingredients which have been sitting on the kitchen bench looking at me for over a week.
So yesterday I ignored my exploding email inbox, the upcoming SCBWI meeting organisation for Saturday, preparation for Yabba Awards today, my writing and a heap of other things and set to work mixing and melting eggs, flour and fruit, plus a host of other ingredients that disappeared into the mixing bowl.
To be honest, I am already very much behind – this ‘Mix and Melt’ recipe suggests the cake should be baked at least 6 months before the big day and kept in the fridge, wrapped in glad-wrap and a tea towel. But as a cake takes up a generous share of fridge space, November is usually about the right time for me.
This has made me think about Christmas and writing and spending time with those we love. Most writers I know simply keep on going over the Christmas holiday period. ‘When’ we write doesn’t make a lot of difference, particularly if there’s a looming deadline. From October onwards we are usually jotting writing commitments and presentations into our diaries for the upcoming year, so often the time of celebration slides through in the middle of what’s being planned or written for the years ahead.
Right now I get the sense we are all up to our necks with ‘things to do’ and ‘people to see’ a mixture of work and that need to catch up with those we’ve deserted during the year – or at least feel we have. So I’ve decided to aim to travel at a slower pace – we always get there in the end – the turkey, chicken or prawns on the bbq, always reach their destination on December 25, no matter what challenges and hiccups we face along the way.
There’s nothing quite like the smell of Christmas.
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