It’s here, whether we like it or not the season of ear muffs and grandma style jumpers is upon us. The prospect of chiselling ice off our windshields at 7am is only slightly counterbalanced by the thought of two things: gingerbread lattes and Christmas day over-eating.
That being said we all know it’s not officially the festive season until the Coca-Cola ‘holidays are coming’ advert hits our screens.
Christmas tree and presents aside, it’s the little things that really get us in the festive mood. Here are my top 5:
Costa Coffee (aka Christmas in a cup)
1. The battle of the ‘festive flavour’ coffee commences. From Eggnog Latte to Black Forrest hot chocolate, this is what Christmas tastes like and it would be rude not to taste it all.
2. Fashion comes in reindeer form. It doesn’t matter how much of a fashionista you are, reindeer print jumpers and Santa hats are not only acceptable but stylish too. By rule of thumb if you see someone in a jumper embellished with: polar bears, penguins or Christmas puddings (and not in the ‘how embarrassing my grandma made me wear this’ kind of way) then the holiday season is here.
Oxford Circus Christmas Light Show
3. Staying in is the new going out. Who needs to venture into the cold when you have all the entertainment you could need playing out the box in your living room? Aside from the Christmas themed adverts playing at quarter of an hour intervals (the John Lewis and Marks and Spenser holiday adverts truly giving Coca-Cola a run for their money this year) we also have Christmas 24 and a whole array of other deliciously terribly Christmas channels waiting for you. Truly terrible films… I must have watched 8 already.
4. Stuffing is back on the menu. You know it’s almost Christmas when every lunchtime menu has at least 3 stuffing-based options on it. Turkey and stuffing sandwiches (come to mamma) chicken and stuffing crisps (I think so). In fact everything begins to taste better around Christmas. With so much festive food porn, it’s no wonder we put on so much weight in the holiday period!
5. Every shopping spree comes with its own Christmas themed backing track. You can’t walk past a single shop on Oxford Street without your ears being greeted by a complication of “Santa Claus is coming to town” and “Do they know it’s Christmas” (which admittedly is a welcome pick-me-up from the obscene money spending on other people).
Music and the act of overbuying go hand in hand in the lead up to Christmas and even the Amazon spending sprees in your lunch break at work seem to be coupled with Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas”.
The worst part? No one even bats an eye.
Watch This Space 