New Pledges!

OK OK I'm making a LOT of promises lately, including "when I've finished painting the kitchen I promise I will keep it spotless" and "next year I will do a MUCH better job of gardening" but here are two that are close to my heart.
Both are Christmas related (apologies to those who campaign for "keep Christmas in December").



1) Every year I buy most of my presents on-line or by mail. This is because I hate shopping in busy shopping centres, the nearest proper shopping centre is Chester which is about 50 miles away and I'm quite lazy. This year, I'd already decided to go local when I found this:

So, I have pledged this year that at least half of my presents will be handmade by me or someone else, or will be from a local shop or small-scale producer. I'm doing quite well so far (though obviously can't say too much as the recipients might be reading this). This also means that everyone will be getting fewer (but BETTER) gifts this year. Hopefully.



2) The second one is a swap that I found here.
It's a great idea which involves swapping a package filled with Holiday traditions with someone else. I shall have to get working so that my partner gets more than "we get drunk and sit in front of the TV". I'll be digging out my best recipes and other fun stuff for the swap. Goodie!