DID CHRISTMAS MOVE? No one told me!

I think that someone really needs to draw attention to the fact that it is October, no not December, we’re only in the tenth month of the year. I know that comes as a shock as everywhere we look we see shops preparing for Christmas. It literally is all around. By the end of September, baubles and illuminating Santa Clauses were in department stores yet British Summer Time wasn’t even behind us.

I feel somewhat sorry for Halloween. From Summer straight to Christmas, whatever happened to the fake spiders and witches hats? They seem to be in short supply this year. I know it’s not a huge festival but it’s a bit of fun, and it used to keep us occupied for long enough to waylay the Christmas excitement. Dressing up and knocking on strangers’ doors with a chance of getting free chocolate…who wouldn’t love that?! Unfortunately, it’s become a children’s holiday, even though very few people I know would down the chance to dress up or get free chocolate, and more often than not, it’s just ignored altogether.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am by no means the Grinch. I adore Christmas! Who doesn’t love spending copious amounts of money on the sparkliest of baubles and covering the house in fairy lights and tinsel, it’s what makes the winter bearable. However,I’ve always had a rule that celebrations cannot start before at least the middle of November, and even that’s pushing it. My logic: Christmas is in December, therefore Christmas should be celebrated in December. Every year the celebrations begin just a little bit earlier, with adverts gracing our TVs (and driving us mad!) and plenty of Christmas lights being turned on at the beginning of November. Come on people, we’re always being told to save the world and save electricity. Maybe push it back a few weeks?

And another thing, what’s the point of snuggling down to watch a film in September and thinking ‘Oh what should I watch? I know, Love Actually,’ because it just puts you in a ridiculously festive mood and you wander around the house for days after singing carols and wishing it was December 24th. Yet in September of this year said film was played an extensive number of times on Sky Movies. Don’t tease us. If it’s on, we want to watch it, so quite simply leave it off.

Okay so it sounds like I hate Christmas, but I really don’t, it’s one of the best times of the year. Family all together, sparkles all over the house, remembering the real reasons why we celebrate it, and obviously watching Love Actually and The Holiday whilst wearing your pyjamas and drinking hot chocolate. Bliss. I just think that all of the commercial hype and shameless product peddling should perhaps be put on hold, at least until the summer is officially over.