I’m getting that Xmas feeling...

Not being a very organised person, I dread this time of year. You see, in the next few days – or weeks at most – I will be tasked with hunting down all the missing and injured Christmas decorations that have been in hiding since the beginning of the year.

This is not a small task, because believe you me, those decorations have a mind of their own.

And I accept full responsibility for the chaos which inevitably will be created by this hunt, because I am, after all, not the world’s most serious disciplinarian.

Unlike some people, who demand that the little elves and angels and fairies stand to attention – from shortest to tallest – in some dark closet all year round waiting for the jingle of bells to signal their yearly call to arms, I allow those little buggers to do as they please.

And they do.

I know for a fact that some of the little elves have been playing in the mud with the glitter balls. And, of course, my dog and the neighbours’ children have joined in the fun.

To get them all lined up, cleaned up and bandaged up so that they can help construct the tree, is a task and a half.

I am referring to the elves, and not the dog or the neighbours’ children.

And I do remember that some of the fairies were invited to a tea party by my granddaughter.

I just hope that they’ve kept an eye on their physique – the Christmas tree is not as strong as it used to be.

Thankfully I have mastered the art of getting tea and chocolate stains out of their dresses.

It’s something fathers learn while they are raising three daughters.

As for the little angels, they are anything but.

If they’ve used the star as a frame for their play tent again, there’s going to be trouble. (I must admit I was impressed with their ingenuity. The star is very sturdy and glows in the dark and if I was smaller, I’d join them in their little haven – but don’t tell them that.) Yes, it’s almost time. Wasn’t Christmas just wonderful when we were still small?