Countdown to Christmas

I swear I am about at my wits end, at the moment it will be more than the turkey told to get stuffed this Christmas. To be honest with the year I have had why should I be surprised?

On Monday hubby had his bank account hacked and the contents of his account cleared. After much stress and jumping up and down, the bank fraud department assured hubby dearest money would be returned to his account by Wednesday (today). Then yesterday, Tuesday hubby went to his night job, only to get robbed on one of his deliveries. Fortunately unharmed, but the entire delivery stolen and the rest of his shift and some spent filling in police forms.

So why oh why did I expect today to go any easier? Because I am stupid or jinxed, I am not sure which. Any way we headed off to the bank today to check his money has been returned and mum's pension was in ready for the last blast of Christmas food shopping. The computer said no on both accounts. Not only has Hubby's fraud money gone awol, now we don't have the foggiest when mum's pay is going in.

It took two conversations in the bank to get anywhere regarding Hubby's money. It turns out a company he makes normal monthly payments, thought they would be clever and take it twice in 3 days using different names. After the bank pointed out to us that what they have done has broken ever rule in the financial code of conduct and many other rules, they told us unless the company would react to a call from hubby, and returned the money that way, then they would have to take the matter  through the legal channels and that would take till the middle of January.  Hubby did what he was told and phoned the company, the first time they hung up on him. So he tried again, with me growling in the back ground. After being put on hold 3 times and 30 minutes on a premium rate number they admitted they had acted fraudulently and the money would be returned  However apparently this can take up to 4 working days. That means the day after Boxing day then, which equates to the car insurance bouncing and no Christmas presents for me. Fortunately the car insurance company has a bit more common sense than most and agreed to take payment next Friday with out penalty.

Mum's money however. well a crystal ball would give us the best answer. You see it's a council workers pension and the pay system is this. They pay normal workers the last working day of the month, and the pensioners anything from 2 to 5 days before that, except at Christmas, because they don't like doing a payment run between Christmas and New year. For the last few years this has entailed the pay coming in a week before Christmas. As Christmas is a Tuesday this year, the logical day would have been today for the pensioners and Friday for the workers at the latest. But with this years luck anything goes.

All I know is unless either of these missing monies appear between now and Friday, there will be no Christmas in this house, as there is no way anyone can get the food shopping in on Christmas Eve. I am long past waiting for Santa Claus, but I can still pray for  Christmas magic , because that is what will get us out of this mess. If not then we will be skipping it this year.