CHRISTMAS has really arrived in Croydon! The lights are being switched on tomorrow but the decorations are already up in most of the town centre. In Centrale - which is our newest shopping mall - there is a huge Christmas Tree in the centre concourse with child-size manequins (I am not sure if I have spelt that correctly) perched all over it, waving and singing. Outside the food court on the second floor, there is a very busy Santa's workshop full of mechanical elves getting presents ready to go on the sleigh.
Across the way in the Whitgift Centre - our oldest established shopping mall - Hubby and I walked through yesterday and found a ginormous Santa's grotto in its centre concourse where there had certainly been no Santa's grotto a couple of days earlier. Add to all this the countless giant teddy bears wandering around beside various characters of fairy story fame, the live DJ playing all the old Christmas favourites at the main entrance of Boots the chemist, the steady backgroud kerching of cash registers on overtime and the glowing faces of the shoppers then you'll get the general idea. All this and the Big Day itself is still five weeks away.
Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. I love Christmas, never outgrew it and never will. Fortunately all my family and Hubby are exactly the same. But I just wonder if it all kicking off so early maybe distracts us a wee bit from the actual holiday. It also makes me kind of sad that the story of that incredible little baby boy, born in the poorest of circumstances around 2000 years ago, somehow gets lost in translation. And no, I am not about to start preaching - that is neither my place nor my job. I just hope that during the thrill, glitter and excitement of it all, whoever we are and whatever our beliefs, we don't forget how it came about in the first place!
Tomorrow, Hubby and I are going to get completely caught up in the festivities because we are going Christmas shopping Big Time, the plan being to get as much of it out of the way as possible. We have a huge extended family - Sisters, Brothers, Parents, Aunts etc - and have to set ourselves a strict budget, so much per adult, so much per child, except where Grandson and Granddaughter are concerned. We do still have a budget for them but it is a bit bigger than the budget for countless Neices and Nephews, for example. Next year we'll have Third Grandchild to consider as well so we may have to alter the perimeters a bit more - but let's get this Christmas out of the way first, eh?
Tonight - Hubby and I are going to see Status Quo Rocking All Over The World at the Fairfield Halls, so very much looking forward to that.
Have a great weekend.
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2 comments:
Ah the Fairfield Halls - I saw many a group there when I lived in Thornton Heath and then moved up to Norbury Hill. It was a great place to live and I could get to Paddington where I worked in half an hour in those dayts before the traffic beame grid locked. Mind you I used to drive everywhere at 80 miles an hour then. A mispent youth.
I share your sentiment about Christmas. I just love it and can't wait for Christmas Eve which is the best day of the year. But as always I spend a few moments feeling sad about all the hype for so long for just one day when lonely people are on their own and that feeling must be so polarised when the media is presenting an image of family, togetherness and love.
Still, life goes on and we settle down to enjoying the festive season and it can be such great fun.
Loved the blog.
Thank you so much for your comments!! I was so delighted to hear from a cosmic twin that I began reading your blog straight awat - right from Day 1. I did comment after it but you might not have seen it since it was placed at the very foot of Day 1. I cannot believe you know Croydon so well, write almost exactly like I do and had the same brilliant idea about showing the whole world just what it is like to be a 50 year old lady in the 21st century. I hope I hear from you again.
Better go - want to catch up with your blog a bit more.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Jills
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