Christmas Watch 2015

UK TV ads must pay well - as if the likes of Kevin Bacon, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Al Pacino, Arnold Scharzenegger and Harvey Keitel plugging everything from bread to insurance weren't enough, I've just seen Jeff Goldblum fronting a Currys-PC World commercial.  Surely he has something better to do with his time?  Isn't there another Independence Day movie in the works?  Surely he must be in that - it must pay better than a TV ad for a British electrical retailer?  Still, I suppose that as none of these ads are ever likely to be seen in the US, then they all feel safe that their reputations won't be affected.  The Goldblum advert is part of a Christmas campaign, so Goldblum's appearances for Currys-PC World might just be seasonal.  Which brings me to my main point: the arrival of Christmas.  Or Winterval, as we like to call it here.

With monotonous regularity, the season of goodwill just keeps rolling around. That said, perhaps it is just my imagination, but this year the season's start seems to have come a little later than usual.  It also seems to be somewhat more muted than usual.  Perhaps its this never-ending recession - or are we in one of those economic recoveries that nobody but the super-rich seem to notice - but the mood, so far, seems pretty down beat.  I haven't even noticed any Christmas trees going up in shops yet, although the decorations are up in Crapchester town centre - apparently they are being officially switched on soon by some minor 'celebrity' or other that I've doubtless never heard of before.  (The heady days when we could afford the likes of Ted Rogers, Marti Caine or a professional Grant Mitchell lookalike to turn the lights on are long gone - Crapchester council even cancelled this year's municipal firework display, pleading poverty).  But no matter - TV has been valiantly flying the flag for an early start to Christmas, with both channel Five and True Entertainment merrily screening Christmas-themed movies in their daytime schedules since October.  Indeed, there's even a temporary channel on Freeview - True Christmas - entirely devoted to Christmas programming for the duration of the season. Needless to say, I haven't bothered retuning my Freeview box.  So, there you have it: Christmas has officially arrived - John Lewis have run their Christmas commercial, which these days seems to be the official starting point for the festive season.