Birthday Deadline Part 1

Christmas Eve – one of the most exciting times of the year you might think. Well for some more than others. You see, Christmas Eve also happens to be my birthday. Not as bad as a Christmas day perhaps, unless you're a hippy with a beard, in which case you're immensely popular (just kidding JC). With Christmas Eve, no one is around to celebrate with and you end up, if you are me at least, spending your time buying presents for other people. This brings me to this year.

All I knew was that I had a deadline to meet in the form of a family dinner in Hertfordshire for 7pm. In fact I’d been told that this was a false deadline (always a mistake to share this sort of information with me) and that 7:30 was the absolute deadline to be there. In my mind I knew I had to leave London by 5pm in order to get there in good time.

Not a problem I thought, as the postman delivered two Christmas cards, one for me and one for the previous owner of my flat (which now also looks good on my fireplace) and three birthday cards. My phone had started beeping with Happy Birthday texts, which immediately lifted me out of the slight melancholy of being a year older, just as I was beginning to get used to the age I was last year.

A hearty breakfast and the morning papers ensued at the local cafe. "Happy birthday" said the cafe owner and said that the tea was on the house. I munched my way through bacon and scrambled eggs and smiled as I received two more birthday texts. It was getting on for midday and I was going to have to get a move on if I was going to be on time later.

One of the advantages of late Christmas shopping is that everyone else has usually done theirs already - not so this year, or so it felt. Oxford Street can be the ugliest of places to visit and today was no exception. Primark must have started their sale, I thought, as I ducked into Bond Street to avoid the huge crowds.

I checked my watch and saw that it was 1pm. I spotted a cool looking shoe shop I hadn't seen before and popped in. Now being single at Christmas has a benefit in that there is extra money to spend on one's self - and what better excuse than your birthday. I heard a voice call over to me as I started to muse around the shop. "Last minute shopping?" she asked. It was the manageress. "Yes, there's nothing more lovely than Christmas shopping on your birthday" I mused "Awww Happy Birthday, bad luck about the shopping" she said. She was adorable and over the next 20 minutes we discussed everything from Christmas shopping to birthdays, to food and shoes - her favourite topic. My phone beeped with another birthday text. I looked down to read it and noticed the time on my phone. I was going to have to get a move on. "Listen I’ve got to get on with this shopping, but I’d love to carry on this conversation. Can I take your number and maybe meet for a coffee sometime." "Yeah, why not" she said as she punched her number into my phone. I headed out the door, ready to brave the crowds.

This was starting to look like a good birthday...