Autumnal trees
…. Christmas!
Who said that?
Well, just about everyone, it seems. And as we are still registering the time between here and …. well, there, in months, I don’t even want to think about it yet. We visited someone in hospital the other day and even the hospital shop was putting novelty chocolate Santas out.
I like to compartmentalise my year. We have Spring. Which is always a misnomer and freezing. Then we have bluebell time, which is what I call Spring, because it smells wonderful and is slightly warmer. And somewhere in the middle is Easter. So don’t go putting Easter eggs on your shelves as soon as Christmas is over. Then it is summer. In England, this of course could mean anything, but I don’t necessarily have to bake in order to enjoy the warmer months. The fact that I can get away without a coat is enough. I like the sky to lift and not be grey above my head, with that leaden heaviness which typifies so much of the year.
And this is autumn. You know, that season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and gorgeously coloured trees. Santa Claus should not poke his nose into my autumn. Get back in your box, sir, and stay there until December 1st.
Actually I do the shopping for the great event all year. If I see something I know a friend would like, then I buy it and salt it away. Sometimes I’ve lost it by December and have to go and buy something else, but hay-ho, nothing is simple.
As a child, my father used to take us shopping on Christmas Eve. Nothing was bought before then. Absolutely nothing. Dad refused to have anything to do with Christmas until Christmas Eve, so everything had to happen on that one day. We went out with long lists and shopped for presents, food, tree and tinsel, and then came home to decorate and wrap. My mother would stay home to bake sausage rolls and mince pies and be standing with bated breath at the front door awaiting our arrival, desperately hoping we had secured a turkey and a tree. We always did, with no trouble at all. Looking back it must have been a nightmare, but at the time, we loved it. And when we returned, the house smelled of cinnamon and cloves and stuffing and bread sauce.
So please don’t mention the C word yet. Let’s enjoy the autumn. We still have Halloween and then there’s bonfire night. Lots of time to think about where the tree and fairy lights might go after all that.
Support my campaign: Christmas in December!
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