I have been thinking a bit about Christmas this week, which is perhaps no real surprise given how close it now is. This year, unusually, I have struggled to get into the festive spirit, though I am not completely sure why.
Some options include:
It took me ages to get around to writing my Christmas cards, I only bought my first presents last weekend and even the Christmas tunes are just not doing it for me this year. By way of further evidence, the decorations on my website (please take a look at the home page by the way) went up later than normal.
But I have reflected on a funny thing that happened the other weekend. It was one of those kind of things that only ever happens at this time of year, a bit like wearing a festive jumper or playing Christmas music – I wouldn’t dream of listening to Cliff Richard, Wham, Aled Jones or Mariah Carey at any other time, but somehow it seems acceptable in December.
I have of course written about Christmas songs a few times before (previous posts available, see below) so in the effort to avoid boring you, this piece is about something completely different. Coffee. Or rather a variation thereof.
Like Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher”, throughout the year I drink my coffee black and strong (the similarities to the fictional Reacher* end there), unless I am at my parents’ house, where my dad forgets and puts milk in. In 2017 I hadn’t consumed a single latte until December, when I went into a Starbucks in Market Harborough. That in itself is worthy of mention, I normally avoid Starbucks (no visits from me in 2017 until that point) because it bothers me that the company avoids paying its fair share of UK corporation tax. But that particular day, it was convenient and Mrs Baldwin was keen.
I wandered up to the counter, viewed the menu and instead of ordering an Americano, I selected a gingerbread latte. Then the geezer behind the counter said “do you want squirty cream with that” and I said “oh go on then” in my best Mr Creosote voice.
So instead of strong, unadulterated coffee, I had a sweet, sickly and dairy overloaded dessert of a brew … and a mince pie.
F.F.S. I went from Jack Reacher, via Monty Python, to Alan Carr in one drink!
It gets more depressing, it turns out that bah humbug complements the gingerbread latte because it, whilst nice, didn’t get my bells a jingling either. Maybe I should have gone for the eggnog variant instead.
Though maybe I don’t need the coffee break so much as the break.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
Previous posts
17/12/15 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/wishing-you-a-metal-christmas
24/11/14 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/christmas-compilation-humbuggery
14/12/11 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/the-theme-tunes-to-christmas
*You might have to read some Reacher novels to learn more
Some options include:
- Being too busy/distracted
- Feeling surplus to requirements
- Just being a grumpy old bastard
It took me ages to get around to writing my Christmas cards, I only bought my first presents last weekend and even the Christmas tunes are just not doing it for me this year. By way of further evidence, the decorations on my website (please take a look at the home page by the way) went up later than normal.
But I have reflected on a funny thing that happened the other weekend. It was one of those kind of things that only ever happens at this time of year, a bit like wearing a festive jumper or playing Christmas music – I wouldn’t dream of listening to Cliff Richard, Wham, Aled Jones or Mariah Carey at any other time, but somehow it seems acceptable in December.
I have of course written about Christmas songs a few times before (previous posts available, see below) so in the effort to avoid boring you, this piece is about something completely different. Coffee. Or rather a variation thereof.
Like Lee Child’s “Jack Reacher”, throughout the year I drink my coffee black and strong (the similarities to the fictional Reacher* end there), unless I am at my parents’ house, where my dad forgets and puts milk in. In 2017 I hadn’t consumed a single latte until December, when I went into a Starbucks in Market Harborough. That in itself is worthy of mention, I normally avoid Starbucks (no visits from me in 2017 until that point) because it bothers me that the company avoids paying its fair share of UK corporation tax. But that particular day, it was convenient and Mrs Baldwin was keen.
I wandered up to the counter, viewed the menu and instead of ordering an Americano, I selected a gingerbread latte. Then the geezer behind the counter said “do you want squirty cream with that” and I said “oh go on then” in my best Mr Creosote voice.
So instead of strong, unadulterated coffee, I had a sweet, sickly and dairy overloaded dessert of a brew … and a mince pie.
F.F.S. I went from Jack Reacher, via Monty Python, to Alan Carr in one drink!
It gets more depressing, it turns out that bah humbug complements the gingerbread latte because it, whilst nice, didn’t get my bells a jingling either. Maybe I should have gone for the eggnog variant instead.
Though maybe I don’t need the coffee break so much as the break.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
Previous posts
17/12/15 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/wishing-you-a-metal-christmas
24/11/14 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/christmas-compilation-humbuggery
14/12/11 http://www.adrianbaldwin.net/blog/the-theme-tunes-to-christmas
*You might have to read some Reacher novels to learn more
RSS Feed
