The Christmas Mega-Blog 2009! Part One - Dan's Festive Plans

by danielkempster

I am dankempster! I am feeling festive!Hey guys! It's Christmas Eve, and that can mean only one thing - it's time for the return of Dan's Christmas Mega-Blog! Those of you who've been around Giant Bomb long enough to remember this time last year might recall me pushing an epic three-part mega-blog into the blogosphere over the Christmas period. Well, I intend to do exactly the same thing this year. If that sounds like way too daunting a read, then fear not, because I've already thought of that, and will be putting this blog out in three separate manageable-sized instalments. That way it should avoid any major signs of Wall-Of-Text Syndrome. To drag up last year's analogy, think of this mega-blog as being a bit like a tasty Christmas dinner. The first blog, a quick update on what's happening with me over the Christmas period, serves as the prawn cocktail starter. The metaphorical turkey dinner comes in the form of a mammoth recap of my own personal experiences of 2009, gaming and otherwise, complete with all the trimmings. Finally, a wind-down blog in the form of a look back on my gaming life will take the place of the Christmas pudding with custard. If the prospect has your mouth watering, then I'll bring this preamble to a close and allow you to get stuck into the first course. Hope you enjoy this year's Christmas Mega-Blog!

Dan's Festive Plans

Time to whack out the stock Christmas image! Well folks, Christmas is once again upon us. I hope you've put up all your decorations, picked up a choice turkey from the supermarket and wrapped up all the presents. I got all of that stuff well out of the way quite some time ago. Anybody who read last year's mega-blog will know that I don't really go in for the commercial side of Christmas, nor for the religious side. For me, Christmas is about spending time with loved ones. As a University student, I don't get to see my family and friends much (before last week, the last time I saw them was when I moved into my new flat way back in August), so Christmas is a very special time for me for precisely that reason. That being said, though, I am still looking forward to that turkey dinner.

I challenge you to find a more adorable dog than MyaI get the feeling it's going to be a pretty mixed Christmas this year. On the one hand, I'm spending a lot of time with family over this holiday season. I returned home last Friday and it's great to be back. It's made me realise just how much I miss the company of my parents and my sisters, and I've finally had a chance to meet the incredible new addition to the family - Mya, the border collie/Alaskan malamute cross puppy. Tomorrow, Christmas Day, we're having my grandad on my dad's side over for the whole day, and my mum's parents are joining us for dinner in the evening. I anticipate that lots of food and alcohol will be consumed, lots of board games will be played, and lots of priceless family moments that'll be remembered for years so come will unfold. That'll be the perfect Christmas for me. On Boxing Day, we're having a friend of the family over for a light evening meal (which I believe is Mum-speak for "getting rid of all the leftover turkey"). Finally, on New Year's Day, my dad's side of the family will be gathering at my grandad's house for the traditional Kempster New Year's Day family dinner. I'm looking forward to all of these events, and am going to treasure what comparatively little time I have with my family before trudging back to Essex and putting my nose back to the grindstone for a new term.

I got the Lonesome Anti-Christmas Blues... But at the same time, I feel like this Christmas is going to be a pretty lonely one. Even though I'm back at home, and in the company of people that I haven't seen for over four months, I still feel like something substantial is missing from the picture. I guess that's because I won't be seeing my girlfriend until a few days into the new year. We've been living together for over four months now, and to suddenly go from seeing her every day to not seeing her at all is a pretty jarring experience. Even now, almost a week after moving back home, I'm finding it hard to settle without her around - sleepless nights, lack of motivation, the works. It's incredible how seeing somebody every day can lull you into a state where you start to take their company for granted. It's also very weird to feel, for the first time in my life, like I don't have a fixed home anymore, because whether I'm here in Hertfordshire or back at the flat in Essex, I still see very little of at least some of the people who matter to me most. Thankfully we're still talking loads on the phone, so it's not like we're completely cut off from one another. Also, to compensate for our not being together on Christmas day, we had an Unofficial Christmas Day in Essex last Thursday. We exchanged gifts, cooked an amazing turkey dinner together, and watched comedy programmes on TV until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer. It was a great Unofficial Christmas. Hopefully in a couple of years, when we're out of Uni and in a bigger flat, we'll both be able to invite our families over to our place for Christmas lunch. Now that would be a complete Christmas.

I can't wait to get my hands on this In terms of gifts, I haven't asked for much this year. My parents have promised to pay for my passport renewal as a Christmas present, and have also bought me Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on PSP, which I'm really looking forward to playing. One of my sisters has bought me comedian Russell Howard's new DVD, Dingledodies. I'm really excited about watching that, because his first DVD was amazing. My girlfriend bought me a pen (the single greatest gift a writer can receive, in my opinion) and a really nice watch. Other than that, I suspect that I'll receive mostly cash and vouchers, which I'll be putting towards picking up Codeine Velvet Club's debut album, and probably saving to go towards some of the big releases I'm looking forward to playing in 2010.

All in all, this Christmas is shaping up to be an excellent one. I hope you all have a great day tomorrow, too. I'd love to know what people are asking for/expecting to receive, so feel free to comment. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I'll see you in a few hours with the second instalment - a personal review of 2009. Thanks for reading guys, I'll see you around.

Dan

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Currently playing - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP)