The weather has turned colder, the scary Halloween costumes have been packed away to collect dust for another year. Bonfire night has caused you near hypothermia, whilst the kids have either chatted amongst their mates or screamed with fear through the whole firework display. Yet still we insist on doing these things because we did them as kids, and there’s nothing different about what is next. Oh yes, it’s nearly THAT time, the man in the big red coat will soon be visiting and the warning signs Christmas is coming have started showing!
#1 Countdowns
The first sign that Christmas is on its way for me, and in October I might add, was the Christmas countdown app that magically appeared on my mobile phone. Lovingly downloaded by my children and already checked on a daily basis. The children’s excitement grows as do my stress levels as the number counts down.
#2 Emails about Christmas bookings
My email inbox is suddenly populated with “great offers”, “book your Christmas party venue now”, “delivered in time for Christmas”, “ideal for Christmas” and “shop online” messages. Does Digital Marketing never take a day off? It’s a constant nagging reminder that I will have to do nothing but shop for the six weeks leading up to the big day. Oh, I forgot to mention secret Santa ideas for colleagues at work and my children’s Christmas lists have also arrived in my mail box too. Aren’t those supposed to go to Santa?
#3 Christmas food appearing in supermarkets
The weekly food shop has already started to take longer as half of my favourite food items have relocated themselves on the other side of the store, which of course is harder to get to through the assault course of seasonal aisles and Christmas offers. A “pop up” children’s toy aisle has appeared, displaying everything from cricket bats to talking animals. Another torture to endure, losing my own children or having to suffer the noise of others.
#4 School Christmas events
The school term coming to an end inundates the children’s school bags with badly written letters that make you wonder how they could possibly be teaching your child English at all. Items for the Christmas fayre, the cricket bats from the supermarket that are already unwanted will suffice. A nativity costume, Christmas dinner menu, Christmas disco invitation, a donation instead of Christmas cards, the carol service and to top it all every item made at school in the past year, including an extremely glittery Christmas card, then arrives home to cause chaos. The house will not be glitter-free now until approximately Easter.
#5 Christmas performances
The true start of Christmas for me, and when I actually allow myself to start to enjoy my favourite time of the year is when I go to watch the school Christmas performance. Not necessarily a nativity these days, but it is definitely heart-warming and festive watching children sing Christmas carols adorned in tinsel, waving wildly at their parents in the audience. That is if you can see your own child through the sea of recording equipment held high in the audience with every parent trying to capture their child’s special moment. What about me? I knew I shouldn’t have given away those cricket bats!
Conclusion
In all honesty, Christmas is my favourite time of the year. A magical time to be spent with family and friends. I enjoy nothing more than engrossing myself in everything Christmas, so long as it is December and maybe even mid-December at that.
Do you feel the same? Am I becoming a humbug? When does the festive period really start for you? Is it the TV adds, the visit from the Coca Cola lorry, or putting up the tree? I’d love to hear your comments.