No escaping from the tragedies, even at Christmas:

A LITTLE girl was killed when she rode her quad bike Christmas present into a head-on collision with a Range Rover.

Elizabeth Cooke, seven, was following her father Gary’s car when the Boxing Day tragedy unfolded on a quiet country road.

Elizabeth was taken home after the accident before an ambulance rushed her to Broomfield Hospital in nearby Chelmsford, but was later pronounced dead. No one else was injured.

Last night officers were still investigating the crash which happened less than a mile from the family’s home, Bluebell Farm, on an unlit 60mph lane after dark. A spokesman for the Essex force said it was illegal for a person under the age of 16 to ride a quad bike on a public road.

Read more here: Daily Express

The bike the 7 year old was using is capable of reaching 40mph. Also, most updated news is that the driver of the Range Rover tested negative for drink/drugs and the childs parents are facing criminal charges - good. Ridiculous that they’d allow their kid to ride one of them things, she was only seven years old for crying out loud. I understand they, like any other parent, would want to get their kids expensive, fun gifts but there’s a line to it, and this was over the line. Nevertheless, this story made me feel really sad, for all people involved. RIP Elizabeth, such a shame her life was cut so short at the most magical time of the year.

I was going to update last night but when I got home from work I felt so ill I didn’t feel like it. Work was a little boring last night; seeing as it was Christmas day there was a buffet from 5:30pm onwards and the bar was open until 10pm, so we spent 5 hours in the same room and it was pretty quiet as many people went out with relatives etc

I developed a headache at work and when I finished my shift I drove home and felt myself feeling gradually worse. Went to bed at 11pm and woke up numerous times during the night. My mum got me a bath robe which is so warm, I put it on at 3am and slept in it hehe was nice and cosy. This morning, though, my throat is killing me, I keep coughing and I have a blocked nose so I’m dreading work as I can hardly talk hehe

Anyway, I’ll end here. Bye all!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here’s hoping you have a fantastic day!

Well, Christmas day doesn’t feel like Christmas day for me. Woke up this morning and just didn’t feel like getting out of bed at all, but I dragged myself out, came downstairs and opened presents with my dad. I got some nice gifts, a sat nav, sweets, chocolates, some money, clothes and a few watches (not all from dad - clothes and money from my mum and her family). We have had Christmas dinner (with chicken - not turkey, dad doesn’t like turkey and I’m not fussed). Not in a Christmas mood today, haven’t been in a Christmas mood at all really this year! Got work this afternoon - starting at 4:15pm instead of 3:15pm. I think there’s a buffet tonight, too. Well I’ll end this here. I’ll type up an entry tonight.

Sorry, yet another entry about Christmas, just can’t seem to escape from it, can we? Anyway, yesterday I finished off my Christmas shopping. Finished it - hopefully. Walking through town I had ‘Thank God It’s Christmas’ by Queen stuck in my head. The only reason why I am thankful for Christmas is because it’s almost over for another year! I walked past an advert thingy in a shop window and there was a song title by Andy Williams; The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It used to be, but not anymore.

I think I may have mentioned it in a previous entry, so I’m sorry if I’m repeating, but Christmas is too commercialised and people, especially the younger generation (teens etc), seem to judge Christmas and how good it is by how much money ended up in their pockets and/or the presents they receive, instead of the original concept of Christmas and it being the family time it should be.

Saying that, however, at work the other day some children from one of the local infants schools were holding a little carol service and they were talking about writing to Santa and getting presents and seeing the excitement in their eyes, the smiles and the words coming out of their mouth, reminded me of how much I loved Christmas as a kid. I guess once you realise Santa isn’t real, it kinda crushes Christmas as a kid.

So, is Christmas the most wonderful time of the year? Well, it depends which way you’re approaching it from and what Christmas means to you. It can be wonderful if:

You’re the Gifts & Gadgets type of person

• Money! Receiving money for Christmas. In your stocking, disguised in boxes wrapped in Christmas paper, falling out of Christmas cards. With money you can buy anything you like! Whether it be clothes, game consoles (or the games), gadgets etc or dare I say it, booze. Especially with all the Christmas & New Years parties happening, money can come in real handy.
• The most expensive/most popular (more often than not - both) games console out there. Perhaps a Nintendo DS as a stocking filler and a PS3 with a few games.
• Don’t forget the laptop with EVERY feature out there. We need to have the best, don’t we? More than decent size hard drive, memory, integrated webcam and TV Tuner, has to be wireless too, of course, and have a graphics card, too. Hey, if the laptop has legs and you just whistle and it comes to you, then that would just top it off. Maybe a Mac or a handheld PC, or an internet tablet. Desktop PCs seem to be “out of fashion” now, from my perspective anyway, but keep in mind I am not the most fashion-eyed person out there, far from it!
• An iPod or another type of Music player, maybe a Creative Zen (personally - I rather these over iPods, see this entry)
• DVDs, box sets, vouchers, books, sat navs.. list is endless!

You’re the party animal

• You’re invited to a party (or multiple parties, even better) that goes on for a whole weekend, or even longer! Unlimited supply of booze, hired DJ (or, if you like DJing, you could DJ)
• You kick out the ‘rents for a night (if you live with them) and host your own party inviting EVERYONE you know. From nieghbours to those living hundreds or thousands of miles away, you’re determined it would be the party of the noughties.
• Drink, drink, drink and wake up without a hangover, takes some doing, but can be achievable. (Not that I’m encouraging drinking!! Personal message to all - know your limits!)
• If you’re the energetic hyper type who dances the night away on the dancefloor without the use of alcohol or drugs, even better! Live the night off coca cola and you remember everything the next day - perfect!

You’re the family person

• Invite all your family around for Christmas day, maybe invite a few of them to stay around your house for a few days if they are travelling from another city/town/country.
• Organise your day and make sure there’s activities such as games to pass the time if you think there will be awkward moments.
• Cook a huge Christmas dinner, turkey and all the trimmings. Everyone sits around the table as you eat and share stories and of course, pulling some crackers. Don’t forget to wear them little Christmas hats!
• Open presents in each others company, kissing and hugging as thank yous.
• Maybe even put on some music, have a dance and/or sing some Christmas carols

You want a quiet Christmas

• Maybe put on a few movies or read some books
• Have a few drinks at home and maybe go out for a walk in the afternoon, late evening.
• Put on some music, maybe Christmas themed or if not in the mood, music of your choice.
• Perhaps phone up a few friends or family so you won’t feel lonely (if you do feel lonely), just to say merry Christmas.
• Go out for a drive to your favourite place (if you haven’t been drinking. Don’t drink at drive)

So, I ask again, will this Christmas be wonderful? Depends what “category” you fall into (although, of course, there may be other issues effecting your Christmas too). As for me, I am between the quiet Christmas and being a family person, both, really, but considering my family is very small and it’s only going to be dad and me this year, it’ll most likely fall under the ‘quiet christmas’ category with a splash of some points in the ‘family person’ category.

Whatever way you’re spending Christmas; on your own, with your family or your friends or even at work, I hope you enjoy it, and stay safe!

I tried to finish off my Christmas shopping this afternoon. I always buy my dog a present or two at Christmas and now I own two hamsters too I am buying for them as well.

This afternoon I bought a new dogs bed, I am also going to get him a Christmas stocking. As for the hamsters I have bought them two Fruit & Veg Salad sticks, and tomorrow (hopefully) I am going to ‘Pets at Home’ and buy them a toy to put into their cage.

I also wrap up the presents. I doubt I’ll wrap up the bed, though! It’s too big, I’ll just hide it until Christmas Day.

Christmas is just around the corner and I’m nowhere near ready. My dad was saying just the other day, “you haven’t put many presents out” and that’s because I haven’t got many and the few I do have, just haven’t got around to wrapping them up. Am not in the mood for Christmas at all this year, as far as I’m concerned the sooner it is over with, the better. Today at work we had a little carol service from one of the local infants schools, it was nice to watch and I remember being that young, how exciting Christmas was, but the older you get the less exciting it is. Well, for me anyway.

It’s all too commercialised. The original concept of Christmas seems to have gone. Instead of it all being family based, religious holiday, everyone is “celebrating” Christmas. Seems to be an excuse to get totally bladdered, spend a lot of money, grow a few grey hairs with all the stress and all this just for ONE day of the year. It’s chaotic.

And of course, things go wrong. Things just HAVE to go wrong! Let’s see… so far this Christmas:

• My Creative Zen Vision: M decided to stop working the other week so I ended up buying another Creative Zen, but a different model. I’ll say more about it when I get it in the post this week (hopefully).
• My phone is playing up! Sometimes when I phone people or when they phone me, I can hear them but they can’t hear me. I was phoning for a taxi the other day and I was saying, “hello” and they couldn’t hear me, so they ended up putting down the phone hehe
• One of my cameras isn’t working. Haven’t a clue what’s wrong with it. I have two cameras, one is expensive, the other one IS expensive, but not AS expensive as the other. It’s also more portable and can take snapshots easier with it. That one is buggered up and won’t switch on or anything… Gah…

However, I’m saying all this but at the end of the day it doesn’t compare to the death of loved ones at Christmas. You always get some tragedy happening at Christmas. Recent stories include a couple who died in a house fire in Brynmawr (Blaenau Gwent), an 83 year old man died in Denbighshire and 4 teenage girls are currently fighting for their life after being in a house fire in Llanelli.

It’s terrible. Phones, cameras & MP3 players can all be replaced, human beings cannot.

Stay safe everyone!