Friday Reads | A Christmas Outing

I'm in the middle of utter chaos - the food is on the stove, my sister has gone into labour, my little one fell down the stairs and does now have a black eye, my mum is in her way, the vacuum cleaner is still in the kitchen, the rest of the kids are vibrating with expectations, my husband is shielding himself with his guitar, and one of the cats is walking all over the keyboard. But, I have read a story! I picked a short story for this day since it's the day before the day (here, I know most of you celebrate on the 25th but we don't). A Christmas Outing by Jonathan Hill is a Christmas coming out story, not necessarily what I usually read but this is brilliant.

I had a laugh reading about poor David and his insane family - there was a lot of recognition there LOL. David is planning on telling his parents he's gay and that Jamie, his boyfriend, actually is his boyfriend and not just a friend from school, but his parents' focus is everything else and making himself heard in the chaos isn't easy. It's sweet and it's funny, and David's sister is insane. I also might have to steal the name Godfrey for some future story, it has a certain ring to it.

I know no one has any time over this weekend but if you happen to find yourself with half and hour or so do check this one out, it's well worth it.



It's that time of year again, when Mum insists on dragging us to the Christmas markets. This year is a bit different, though, as my friend Jamie is coming too.

Mum is so stressed about enjoying the evening that she probably won't enjoy it, Dad has conveniently developed a sudden fear of crowds to try to get out of it, and I'm waiting for the right moment to tell them both that Jamie is more than just a friend...

A feel-good comedy short story of around 10,000 words.