Christmas is coming
Sorry to mention the C word before 1st December but it's hard to avoid it at the moment. One of my favourite card shops has been selling Christmas cards since the end of August. So why do our celebrations start earlier and earlier each year?
This year I'll be spending Christmas up North, for only the second time in ten years. The other Christmas I spent in Liverpool with my exes family, and while it was okay, I always find it a bit strange adapting to the different ways other people's families do Christmas. Especially as my exes family didn't really 'do' Christmas.
I have always loved Christmas, much more than New Year. When I was little, my Mum and Dad would let me open one or two presents before the rest of the family came round, as I used to get so excited! It's tradition in my family to open the presents after Christmas dinner. So normally you have to wait quite late in the day to do that, torture for a present lover like me. If I remember rightly, last year we had dinner after opening presents, which I preferred, then there's still something to look forward to.
My family don't tend to spend a lot on Christmas presents, maybe because none of us have a lot of money, but also I've never understood the whole 'spend more than you can afford for Christmas, and spend the rest of the next year paying it off' thing. I'm a big fan of Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert, - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/- and he makes a very good point that Christmas happens every year, so if you budget you should be able to keep your head above water financially.
Personally, I knew in advance that I get paid at the end of November,and then not again until New Year's Eve, so have bought my presents out of October's pay, in order to use November's money for some Christmas dos, Christmas food, and party frocks!
So, to get back to the point, why does Christmas now edge into our consciousness at the end of August/beginning of September? If it's so we can budget for it in time I think that's a good thing. But if it's so retailers can milk shoppers for every penny they can then that's kind of sad. Even loving Christmas as much as I do, I start to get a bit bored after a couple of months of Christmas ads on TV, when it's only November and I know there's still hundreds more plays of John Lewis and M&S's latest Christmas ads to come.
This year I'm not sure yet what I'm going to be doing on the day yet, and I think I like it that way. As long as it involves good food, good conversation, and a drink or two I'll be happy. So keep bringing the Christmas cheer, but maybe next year don't start stocking up on Mince pies until November. It's so much better that way.
This year I'll be spending Christmas up North, for only the second time in ten years. The other Christmas I spent in Liverpool with my exes family, and while it was okay, I always find it a bit strange adapting to the different ways other people's families do Christmas. Especially as my exes family didn't really 'do' Christmas.
I have always loved Christmas, much more than New Year. When I was little, my Mum and Dad would let me open one or two presents before the rest of the family came round, as I used to get so excited! It's tradition in my family to open the presents after Christmas dinner. So normally you have to wait quite late in the day to do that, torture for a present lover like me. If I remember rightly, last year we had dinner after opening presents, which I preferred, then there's still something to look forward to.
My family don't tend to spend a lot on Christmas presents, maybe because none of us have a lot of money, but also I've never understood the whole 'spend more than you can afford for Christmas, and spend the rest of the next year paying it off' thing. I'm a big fan of Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert, - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/- and he makes a very good point that Christmas happens every year, so if you budget you should be able to keep your head above water financially.
Personally, I knew in advance that I get paid at the end of November,and then not again until New Year's Eve, so have bought my presents out of October's pay, in order to use November's money for some Christmas dos, Christmas food, and party frocks!
So, to get back to the point, why does Christmas now edge into our consciousness at the end of August/beginning of September? If it's so we can budget for it in time I think that's a good thing. But if it's so retailers can milk shoppers for every penny they can then that's kind of sad. Even loving Christmas as much as I do, I start to get a bit bored after a couple of months of Christmas ads on TV, when it's only November and I know there's still hundreds more plays of John Lewis and M&S's latest Christmas ads to come.
This year I'm not sure yet what I'm going to be doing on the day yet, and I think I like it that way. As long as it involves good food, good conversation, and a drink or two I'll be happy. So keep bringing the Christmas cheer, but maybe next year don't start stocking up on Mince pies until November. It's so much better that way.
right there with you, hun! I mean, surely we can wait until after Bonfire night before we start thinking about Christmas???
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