You Realise Christmas Is Approaching When …

[Zachary]

Only 66 days left until Christmas!

You realise Christmas is approaching when …

… you remember what car driving was 300 days ago:

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ The red nose is a nice touch.

So far, have not seen nor heard one Christmas display, item, sign, notice or song anywhere. Several Thanksgiving things have popped up, but no Xmas yet.

 

[scottyrocks]

. . . October begins.

 

[Zachary]

So far, have not seen nor hear one Christmas display, item, sign, notice or song anywhere

Yes there are! My local supermarket here in Austria is already offering advent calendars and lebkuchen.

 

[Fading Fast]

Yes there are! My local supermarket here in Austria is already offering advent calendars and lebkuchen.

Wow, that is early. It's usually the candy aisle that is the first to get the Christmas items (holds true for almost all holidays), but so far in NYC, I haven't seen anything yet.

 

[MisterCairo]

I went to Canadian Tire at the very start of October for some Hallowe'en bits (learning from last year that they run out by mid-month), and yes, Virginia, the Christmas decorations and lights are out...

 

[LizzieMaine]

Christmas crap went up at our local Walmart and Home Depot stores the last week of September. It's unnerving to walk into one of these places and see a cowled full-size grinning skeleton figure standing shoulder to shoulder with Santy Claus. The forces of the Boys are in full muster.

 

[Edward]

I've seen a couple of Christmas bits here, but only advertising bookings for Christmas group bookings at various food outlets. I don't much care for Christmas decorations until 1 December (in shops: at home, I wait until about the 15th, or I don't bother at all if i'm away).

 

[Tiki Tom]

Just today I received a christmassy flier announcing the dates all the outdoor Christmas (Advent) markets will be opening here in Vienna. I was shocked to realize that the first ones will be opening in about three weeks! Mid-November. Seems like it was summer just yesterday. I’m starting to think it is indeed true that time accelerates as we get older.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Christmas crap went up at our local Walmart and Home Depot stores the last week of September. It's unnerving to walk into one of these places and see a cowled full-size grinning skeleton figure standing shoulder to shoulder with Santy Claus. The forces of the Boys are in full muster.

Someday, the nuclear option...

 

[ChiTownScion]

My dear, sweet, late and much missed mom had the annoying habit of wanting to keep our Christmas tree up way into January. It was a hideous artificial flocked thing that she's decorate in small white lights and one color (red) of ball ornaments. It was a very 1950'd style, and it looked more ratty every passing year. The rest of us hated the damned thing, but she was adamant as to how beautiful it was: "It looks like a tree with snow on it!" (Well, perhaps when the Dodgers were still playing in Brooklyn, it did.) I liked to tell her that it exhibited the ravages of tree syphilis.

After about 15 years it finally got ditched and she was upset about that. Happily no one makes that style of tree anymore, that I know of (and if they do they should be tried for crimes against humanity).

 

[sheeplady]

As much as I love love love holidays, they are less special when the decorations go up early. Let each holiday have it's fair share. (Also Halloween is a favorite so don't crowd out Halloween with Christmas stuff.)

 

[Zachary]

Only 65 days left until Christmas!

… when the post man rings, bringing you a parcel containing this year's limited edition Christmas Fountain Pen Ink, limited to 24 glasses:

Its colour is light brown, and it has the scent of lebkuchen. Ordered another one as a little something for my mother as well, who is a pen-and-ink-connaisseur just like me.

 

[GHT]

There was a restaurant near where I once lived in London that always put up a Christmas tree at the end of June, beginning of July. This was to remind patrons that seating for the Christmas period was limited and quickly sold out. It annoyed me intensely, granted that it was a very popular place, so much so, that patrons would book for the following year after their party, so why bother with that wretched tree?

The UK used to have a big celebration on November the fifth. It was to commemorate the foiling of the gunpowder plot on November the fifth 1605, when an attempt was made to blow up Parliament and restore catholicism to the country. Bonfires would be lit and an effigy of one of the conspirators, one Guy Fawkes, would be burned atop of the bonfire. Fireworks are let off and there was always lots to eat. As a child I remember that we would put potatoes in the embers of the bonfire, these we would eat, once cooked. Goodness knows what else went down with the flesh of those potatoes. The celebration was always referred to as bonfire night. Nowadays it's reduced to organised fireworks display on the nearest weekend to November the fifth. It dropped out of favour due to idiots throwing fireworks that could start a fire, worse they would deliberately frighten pets, it all got out of hand. Then when the world went politically correct, bonfire night became known as an anti-catholic demonstration, so now very few bother with a home bonfire. Instead we have imported America's version of Halloween, except, thankfully, the trick or treat aspect of it.

On November the first the shops take down all their Halloween display and replace them with tinsel and all things Christmas. At the start of this I mentioned the mid summer Christmas tree, and how annoying I found it. So too do I find it exasperating when the shops clear away Christmas only to display an array of Easter eggs.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Early Bird Specials on Valentine Candy!

 

[TimeWarpWife]

There was a restaurant near where I once lived in London that always put up a Christmas tree at the end of June, beginning of July. This was to remind patrons that seating for the Christmas period was limited and quickly sold out. It annoyed me intensely, granted that it was a very popular place, so much so, that patrons would book for the following year after their party, so why bother with that wretched tree?

The UK used to have a big celebration on November the fifth. It was to commemorate the foiling of the gunpowder plot on November the fifth 1605, when an attempt was made to blow up Parliament and restore catholicism to the country. Bonfires would be lit and an effigy of one of the conspirators, one Guy Fawkes, would be burned atop of the bonfire. Fireworks are let off and there was always lots to eat. As a child I remember that we would put potatoes in the embers of the bonfire, these we would eat, once cooked. Goodness knows what else went down with the flesh of those potatoes. The celebration was always referred to as bonfire night. Nowadays it's reduced to organised fireworks display on the nearest weekend to November the fifth. It dropped out of favour due to idiots throwing fireworks that could start a fire, worse they would deliberately frighten pets, it all got out of hand. Then when the world went politically correct, bonfire night became known as an anti-catholic demonstration, so now very few bother with a home bonfire. Instead we have imported America's version of Halloween, except, thankfully, the trick or treat aspect of it.

On November the first the shops take down all their Halloween display and replace them with tinsel and all things Christmas. At the start of this I mentioned the mid summer Christmas tree, and how annoying I found it. So too do I find it exasperating when the shops clear away Christmas only to display an array of Easter eggs.

Being an American, I'd never heard of Guy Fawkes Day until I saw it on an episode of Poirot. Sad to hear that as with most traditions, a few had to spoil it for the many.

 

[Fading Fast]

And I stand corrected as we received catalogues just yesterday with Christmas stuff - ugh. As a free market guy, it is what it is, but if I have to live with the seventy thousand government rules and regs that I believe are overbearing, couldn't they at least pass one to keep the holidays in their appropriate boxes (or eliminate the seventy thousand rules and regs I don't want)?

 

[Fading Fast]

And now it's not just the catalogues. Today, and where expected, Christmas made its appearance first in the candy aisle (of a local Walgreens):

 

[galopede]

Being an American, I'd never heard of Guy Fawkes Day until I saw it on an episode of Poirot. Sad to hear that as with most traditions, a few had to spoil it for the many.

A new three parter started on the BBC on Saturday night called Gunpowder about the plot starring Kit Harington who's also in something called Game of Thrones (?) as chief plotter Robert Catesby who was actually his ancestor!

Lots of complaints about the violence so far after an old lady was stripped naked and crushed under a door followed by a young Jesuit priest being hung, drawn and quartered in glorious Technicolor!

I doubt it will be shown in the States though as few people over there know about the plot.

Gareth

 

[Zachary]

You realise Christmas is approaching when …

… the scents of the people on the subway change to the sweet side, and the air is filled with YSL L'Homme Libre, Paco Rabanne 1 Million, and Boss Bottled.