LAST week when walking my fully DNA tested miniature schnauzer Ferdy (apologies for the obvious ‘nepotism’ in last week’s column) I was surprised to glimpse a few Christmas trees and decorations beginning to appear. I don’t mean in shops and business premises but in private homes and gardens. I had to check the date and yes it was indeed still only the start of November. This very much felt like some sort of weird seasonal mismatch considering there were still several pumpkins rotting away on doorsteps.
I am one of those people who refuses to even consider embracing Christmas until the last day of November has been ripped from the calendar.
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However, I do understand people’s enthusiasm to fast forward towards festive fervour – after all it has been another turbulent and challenging year for many and what harm is there in wanting to add a sprinkle of twinkly joy to these dark afternoons? My three-year-old cousin has been singing Jingle Bells since July.
I wonder though if this is spurred on by some strange competitive desire to be the first one on the street to crack. You usually find that those in November Club, do like to talk about November Club and tell everyone they have already surrendered to the spirit of the season.
For some there’s a gradual lead in – perhaps just a single tree or a few lights – until December 1 which signals the green light for operation Santa’s grotto.
Like Halloween, perhaps it’s the influence of American culture on our own traditions. The Americans will be busy prepping for Thanksgiving which is the last Thursday of November and marks the beginning of ‘holiday season’ in the USA. This is immediately followed by Black Friday, which has now been adopted on this side of the Atlantic, where deals are offered on all sorts of products heralding the start of the Christmas shopping period. It used to be the case that most items purchased at full price for Christmas were reduced in the January sales.
Clearly, for a myriad of reasons, not everyone welcomes Christmas with the same enthusiasm and joy as others so extending it into early November can be difficult for some. Like many families, we have a cluster of birthdays between mid-November and mid-December so it is a busy and expensive time. My mum practically has a meltdown when she sees the early trees and lights go up as it makes her feel disorganised and under pressure muttering under her breath “I haven’t even thought about Christmas yet” - and I wonder where my Grinchesque attitude comes from.
I would be curious to know that if Christmas starts in November does it still extend into January or are those early elves over it all by Boxing Day? We tend to pack Christmas back into the attic on New Year’s Day before everyone faces work again, but I know some like to leave their decorations up until the ‘Twelfth Night’ (January 5). However, it is deemed ‘bad luck’ if decorations remain up beyond this period.
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Our old neighbours always had a beautiful handmade wreath delivered every Christmas from the local garden centre which hung from a scarlet ribbon on their front door. They used to leave it on their door well into February - until it started to droop and wilt. One year their house was burgled while they were inside (thankfully they slept through it and were unharmed) but their car, money and possessions were stolen. Now maybe it was just a coincidence, but it was February and the wreath was still on the front door...
Once the final fairy lights disappear, we know that they will soon be replaced by hearts and flowers. But maybe it’s helpful to have these seasonal signposts, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, to spur us through the darker periods until we finally arrive into the light of Easter, spring and summer.
