Christmas Watch 2012

I know that today was the start of November, but this year Crapchester's powers that be have been quick out the blocks.  This evening, when I wandered down to the 99p shop, (I'm the last of the big spenders), I couldn't help but notice that some of the town centre Christmas decorations were already up!  Not only that, but the Christmas themed kiddie rides and Santa's grotto had also appeared.  These were being presided over by a very unhappy looking girl dressed as an elf.  I guess that elf boots, tights, hordes of kids and the minimum wage aren't a happy combination.  Anyway, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise - all the Christmas crap had already started creeping into the supermarkets, (the 99p shop was just stocking their seasonal lines when I went in there tonight), but somehow the first day of November seems a bit soon to be sticking up the decorations.  For one thing, it means that I'll have to put up with the sight of miserable elves for nearly two months!  Believe me, after two months of seasonal decorations, Christmas won't seem so special.  Moreover, bearing in mind that they probably won't get around to taking them down until February, that means that a third of the year will have been 'Christmas'.

Personally, I'm doing my best to ignore Christmas.  We've only just had Hallowe'en for God's sake!  At least the Americans have Thanksgiving to insulate them from Christmas.  For the rest of us, the corporate behemoth seems to need a longer run in to the big event every year.  I'm guessing that this year, with the recession and all, they'll be even more desperate to push up the festive sales figures.  Indeed, I've also noticed that the Christmas TV adverts seem to have started in earnest today.  I wouldn't mind, but they make all this fuss about selling us crap in the run up to Christmas, but once it arrives, the very same companies can't wait for it to be over and for us wage slaves to get back to work.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there are meant to be twelve days to the festival -  these days we're getting severely short-changed.  Twelve days of debauchery, that's what we want!  Once again I'll be spending the next few weeks campaigning for the introduction of an extended seasonal break: Winterval.  You know you want it!