I'm one of those types of people that is super-keen about Christmas. I love every bit of it, wrapping presents, shopping, music, decorating trees, hanging lights. Here's the nearest big public city tree to me, Covent Garden:



Lovely.

Was hoping for a Christmas Miracle a la Tiny Tim, and that I would get my stipend payment before the holidays. Then it occurred to me that Christmas Miracles shouldn't be about money, and I felt bad. But then I remembered that actually, Tiny Tim's family got money, and it saved them, so it can be about money. But it might really be about Scrooge not caring about having money, and then I got incredibly confused. So rich people should want to get rid of money and poor people should be getting money, and then I didn't know which I was, as am a starving grad student, but not properly starving and then I had to lie down after all that thinking.

Doesn't matter, as the paperwork didn't move through and my first payment is due January 15th.

And then today, another Christmas Miracle presented itself and then immediately vanished. My supervisor popped round to my office today....

Supervisor: So who are you flying when you go back home?
Me: British Air.
S: Ah, should have told me earlier! My best mate is a pilot, I could have had you bumped up to first class!
M: (nearly fainting) Give him a ring!!!!
S: No, he's in Switzerland until Friday.

Sonofa.... I emailed my flight back details, perhaps I'll be getting a post-Christmas Miracle.

Until then, Merry Christmas!! This will be my last post until I'm back stateside, so I hope you all have very happy holidays!