26th October - Why December is the craziest month of the year...

Hot chocolate, mulled wine, mince pies, advent calendars, snowmen, pigs in blankets, plus fireworks and champagne on new year's eve... From the outset, December might look like a pretty decent month. But beware of the sheep in wolf's clothing. Hiding behind the shiny presents and smell of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, is, for me at least - personally - the idea of financial hell, every December. It starts, in the first fortnight, when my Wife-to-be turns another year older, and quite frankly... When we first met and she informed me of the date of her birthday, I wondered if we were right for each-other (I joke!). But if she was right for my wallet, anyway, given the other heaps of financial commitments I currently possess through this month. 

Despite this, I'm something of an extravagant gift giver, I prefer to give than to receive (steady!), and pride myself on my ability to deliver outstanding presents. The last few years have seen her emptying Santa's sack (steady!) to receive 4-day Creamfields tickets, a fully paid trip to Ibiza, a long weekend flight + hotel in Rome, and a surprise trip to Paris & Amsterdam. But sandwiched either side of her birthday and Christmas, is the birth of my first-born Son, who regularly empties my account via just about every product in the entire LEGO catalogue, and following Christmas Day for the above mentioned, and many more, my youngest Son's birthday, just a matter of hours into the New Year. His lists always include a flurry of gifts from the world of Roblox, Minecraft, and Among Us, and by January, my Credit Card is sobbing uncontrollably.

Of course, the festive period is a time for giving, and there's no warmer way to melt my occasionally stony heart than to see this trio with smiles on their faces, but if there is one piece of advice I can ever pass on to wannabe parents, or those thinking of trying to conceive, my golden nugget of wisdom is clear to you. Take a look at your calendar, and for Christ's sake, wear a condom throughout the entire month of March every year. Else you'll find yourself like me every year, slowly eyeing up December like two cowboys in a Western, waiting for the pistol of Black Friday to fire deep within your heart. From an experienced father of two, and now husband-to-be, in my own personal world...

... December is the most bittersweet, stressful-yet-rewarding, month of the year.