I haven’t sought out this year’s specially marked for Christmas household cleaning products, but I am sure there are plenty around that I should be buying and using at this special time of year, right?  However, I took this pic and put it up for my blog readers in 2005 – where does the time go? and thought it’s time for another posting.  Here in Latin America cleaning is big and a constant battle – not that people are dirtier than anywhere else, they just work harder at being clean is my take on it.  This year this whole thing has been complicated by regular doses of the volcanic ash cloud from Mt. Peyuhue in  Chile that, apart from peridocially causing flights to be cancelled, leaves a coating of abrasive powder on flat surfaces everywhere and tracks in onto the wooden floors.  More cleaning.  Or not, depending which cultural background you come from 🙂

So that makes me think I’d best get down to the supermarket and check this year’s special edition cleaning products…. nah – by the time you read this I won’t even be here,  and the house minder can feel free to use any of the products already in the cupboard.  So wherever you are and whatever mess you are dealing with or ignoring – muddy wet foot prints from the snow, ash cloud foot prints,  sand tracked inside the beach house, food rubbish left too long in the bin before taking it out, a sudden onslaught of teenage darlings home for the holidays eating you out of  house and home but not clearing up after themselves, and more –  happy Christmas and my best wishes for the coming year.