When is it ok to like Christmas?
How early is too early for putting up your decorations? When are you allowed to go around listening to Christmas songs? There are many factors at play and, of course, it is a personal thing.
For me I have never been a fan of Christmas before December (and I am writing this on 30 November). I am very much a one for celebrating Christmas, but November feels too early. My birthday falls in mid-November and this has something to do with the way I feel I am sure. When I look around at all the decorations and adverts for Christmas and I still haven't blown out my candles I think it is too early by far. Now, I know there are people who have their birthdays in December and they have more right to feel like that than I do (I know several people born on Christmas Eve...what was happening nine months before???), but my point is that mid-November is just too early.
However, when I was living at home my Dad used to get one of the fibre optic Christmas trees out on my birthday every year. Yes, growing up at home we had more than one fibre optic tree...don't ask. Anyway, the idea was that my birthday symbolised the beginning of my Dad's made up festival of 'Winterval'. This is a festival that embodies the true meaning of the season. You spend loads of money and eat lots of food. That is pretty accurate I guess.
So, aside from that we had my Mum, who hated Christmas decorations. As we got older we had less and less. We did used to go crazy though. We had the main tree, a tree in the hall, the fibre optic 3ft tree in the window and endless streamers and tinsel covering everything. As time went on and she got her way more and more the streamers were no longer used and the use of tinsel more than halved. Also, we were not allowed to put any decorations up until the second weekend in December.
I tend to go from the biggest 'Scrooge' in the world on 30 November to the ultimate Christmas junkie on 1 December. The change seems to happen at midnight and then I get really excited. I will be attacking the office tomorrow with tinsel and the Christmas tree. I am even going to make sure I am in early enough to do it before anyone else notices. I even have plans to go and buy more stuff for the office. I would love us to have a bigger tree but I don't know where we would put it.
Personally I will be putting my decorations up at home over the coming weekend. That seems about right for me. My neighbours have had their lights up for about a week already. This is too early in my books.
Part of the problem is the expense of Christmas. You have to do your shopping really early to spread the cost out between several pay days. That is what I find anyway. That means that even before my birthday I have already started shopping for presents and I have made a list of food we need so that we can work it all out cost wise.
I do not want to think about Christmas until December really but it seems we have no choice. Christmas ads start as early as September now and the big supermarkets release their ads in November. There is annual competition to make the best ads (this year looks to have been won by Sainsbury's and their revival of the classic kids book character Mog the Cat). The consumerism starts early and it takes the edge off the feeling that Christmas is a time for family and fun. Then again, that is my opinion now...ask me again tomorrow...
For me I have never been a fan of Christmas before December (and I am writing this on 30 November). I am very much a one for celebrating Christmas, but November feels too early. My birthday falls in mid-November and this has something to do with the way I feel I am sure. When I look around at all the decorations and adverts for Christmas and I still haven't blown out my candles I think it is too early by far. Now, I know there are people who have their birthdays in December and they have more right to feel like that than I do (I know several people born on Christmas Eve...what was happening nine months before???), but my point is that mid-November is just too early.
However, when I was living at home my Dad used to get one of the fibre optic Christmas trees out on my birthday every year. Yes, growing up at home we had more than one fibre optic tree...don't ask. Anyway, the idea was that my birthday symbolised the beginning of my Dad's made up festival of 'Winterval'. This is a festival that embodies the true meaning of the season. You spend loads of money and eat lots of food. That is pretty accurate I guess.
So, aside from that we had my Mum, who hated Christmas decorations. As we got older we had less and less. We did used to go crazy though. We had the main tree, a tree in the hall, the fibre optic 3ft tree in the window and endless streamers and tinsel covering everything. As time went on and she got her way more and more the streamers were no longer used and the use of tinsel more than halved. Also, we were not allowed to put any decorations up until the second weekend in December.
I tend to go from the biggest 'Scrooge' in the world on 30 November to the ultimate Christmas junkie on 1 December. The change seems to happen at midnight and then I get really excited. I will be attacking the office tomorrow with tinsel and the Christmas tree. I am even going to make sure I am in early enough to do it before anyone else notices. I even have plans to go and buy more stuff for the office. I would love us to have a bigger tree but I don't know where we would put it.
Personally I will be putting my decorations up at home over the coming weekend. That seems about right for me. My neighbours have had their lights up for about a week already. This is too early in my books.
Part of the problem is the expense of Christmas. You have to do your shopping really early to spread the cost out between several pay days. That is what I find anyway. That means that even before my birthday I have already started shopping for presents and I have made a list of food we need so that we can work it all out cost wise.
I do not want to think about Christmas until December really but it seems we have no choice. Christmas ads start as early as September now and the big supermarkets release their ads in November. There is annual competition to make the best ads (this year looks to have been won by Sainsbury's and their revival of the classic kids book character Mog the Cat). The consumerism starts early and it takes the edge off the feeling that Christmas is a time for family and fun. Then again, that is my opinion now...ask me again tomorrow...
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