No, it’s not too early…

I am starting to get so excited for Christmas (much to the annoyance of Campi, who has no fun in life ). I absolutely love Christmas – it’s like everyone has one great big birthday together, plus there are lights and decorations everywhere (and believe me, in the UK at this time of year, we need them) and there’s cheesy Christmas music, and yummy Christmas food, and carols, and pantomimes and plays, and… well, no nativity plays any more, but I remember them from when I was a child. And it’s exciting, just as exciting as Jem giving birth, congratulations by the way And even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, but Hanukkah, or Christmukka (because you have both Moses and Jesus on your side)¹ , or Winter or whatever, you still can’t deny that it is just a tiny bit special.

Like I said, Campi says it’s too early to start being excited, but I have compiled a list to prove her wrong.

“Ann knows it’s nearly Christmas when…”

1. Mince pies and Christmas puddings start being sold in the shops.
2. Everything turns red with white snowflakes on them.
3. The house begins filling with the M&S Christmas catalogues because they print too many and begin throwing them at you as you walk through the doors.
4. The M&S Christmas advert comes on TV (2008 and 2007).
5. Everyone has mince pies with their lunch.
6. Mum bakes the most delicious mince pies that would never pass as mince pies in the shops.
7. We begin learning the latest stupidly hard, chromatic, clashing, new carol for the carol service in choir.
8. We’re told it will sound beautiful in the church.
9. When you step outside in the morning and (if it’s not too cold to breathe through your nose) the air smells of wood smoke and Christmas cake.
10. You begin to argue with Lizzy over who makes the Christmas cake/pudding this year.
11. You also begin to argue over what she is and is not allowed to give you for Christmas. Nothing is resolved upon.
12. People brag that they’ve already bought and started writing Christmas cards.
13. You decide you’re too busy to give any this year, but feel guilty when the first turns up in your pigeonhole.
14. When you start organising Secret Santa with your class, and are given someone you know nothing about, or your best friend you’ve already got a present for.
15. You find the first amazing present for a friend which you spend ages giggling about because it’s relevant to an inside joke (more often than not when you give it to them they don’t get it first time).
16. When you start organising trains to the carol service because otherwise you just know it will go wrong.
17. When you begin deciding what you will have for breakfast that morning.
18. John Rutter.
19. When you have arguments with friends about when it is acceptable (or bad luck) to put decorations up. You put them up early and take them down late to prove a point.
20. When you pass garden centres you try to resist the urge to childishly squeal and run around the winter wonderland they’ve created.

So those are some of my favourite reasons for looking forward to Christmas. What are yours?

1. good for you if you got the Seth Cohen reference [↩]

Tags: christmas, church, exciting, food, me, Music, school, sing