A Very Library Christmas (part one)

It's a known fact that I stumbled into my role as committee chair. Fell over the chair, in fact. From non-official hanger-on to actual member to bona fide voted co-chairperson, I never actually wanted the job. To be perfectly honest, I thought it would be a pain in the arse, eat up all my time and firmly cement my total lack of street-credibility.

It has been and has done all those things. And although I have my moments of wondering what the hell I'm doing here - (case in point - the other day, I talked a first-year through using the computer to check out a book. "Your number, yes. Your name. Press Enter twice. Scan - bleep! - press F2, you're done. Okay?"

A beat. She looked at me and held out the book. "Now what do I do with it?"

"Read it," I said wearily) - but most of the time, I'm actually pretty glad I'm doing it. It made for a really original reference, for one thing, and it means I spend so much time breaking up the mini-Scoobies from fighting I'm actually getting quite good at it. As I say so often, as long as they're in there they're my responsibility. The moment they cross the threshold, they're not, and they can hit each other all the way down the corridor if they want to.

All of this preamble is unnecessary, really, but it brings me nicely into the morning's Christmas gift-exchanging and general niceness that accompanied it. I came in late, to start with, and being as how you never set a good example, laden down with ten overdue books to shove into Henry, and ambled towards Politics in a dazed frame of mind. I walked into Sam, who had a card for me. I smiled, accepted it awkwardly, dropped my file and carried on. Five steps later I walked into Cath. "Present," she said effieciently. Laden down with this unexpected bounty, I went on and managed to not walk into anyone else.

Later, we did it properly - gifts and cards and suchlike, except only half of it because Miranda and I are holding off until tomorrow with gifts. Cath and Sam made up for it all in enthusiasm. What they gave each other was mystifying, but I believe the Rasmus (a Finnish rock band Sam is somewhat enamoured of) were involved somewhere, as was a talking frog called Ian. Well, not talking exactly. But it croaked. I thought it was adorable.

Cath gave me a Pucca notebook (to match my bag and purse, natch) and I loved it so much I resolved not to write in it. Much too pretty. And Sam gave me a large poster of Bushisms (that I have left in the library office. Crap.) and...

A Terry's Chocolate Orange.

I think that wins Best Comic Timing of the Year Award.

She gave one to Miranda too, along with Feet of Clay (Discworld) and later on we shared the chocolate - the four of us, and Mr Evans. Because he was there, and if we hadn't given him the chocolate he would have stolen it.

Installment two comes tomorrow, when Miranda and I do the gift-giving thing. She, Cath and I have conspired over Sam's present, and I got Miranda's tonight after some angst. It's all done, thankfully. Everyone else gets chocolate, with the honourable exception of the residents and amchau.

There is nothing else of note, except I may be suffering from unwanted festivty. Before she went to Oxford, Sarah said, "Iona, you're not being nearly as much of a Scrooge this year," and I am forced to concur. Still not going to the Christmas party, though.