That time of year already??

Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year, in fact i challenge you to find someone who is as excited about Christmas as me so forgive me if my title suggests other wise, it is just that Christmas 2012 has crept up on me like Sebastian Vettel would do after a can of Red Bull  (sorry i had to get one reference in there) It really is just as if i came up for air in the past fortnight after finishing my essays before December and realised that the shops were full of the sounds of Slade and The Pogues. Where has 2012 actually gone?????  It doesn't seems like 2 minutes ago i was sunning myself in front of Goodwood House eating lunch with Merrick listening to the beautiful sounds of cars head out on track while watching The Red Arrows fly overhead, quite frankly my favourite moment of 2012.

There is nothing i love more at this time of year than walking round an ice cold city getting lost in the stalls of a German Christmas market. If there is an activity as christmassy as this then i sure as don't know about it! There is something about the intoxicating aroma of mulled wine, baked apples and roasting chestnuts that sends my soul to another place. I am automatically transported from Leeds Millennium square to Cologne or Frankfurt. Oh if only!!!

Thanks to our supermarkets jumping on the Christmas bandwagon earlier and earlier every year (I'm sure i saw Christmas products in certain shops in August/September it really does puzzle me how this festive season still seems to creep up on us all Yet Brits seem stuck in the Keep calm and Carry on" way of life to enjoy the best time of year before we really should. Why does it have to be December and no earlier before as a nation we actually acknowledge its existence?? It's as if it gets to the 1st of December and we all jump out of the blocks as fast as Usain Bolt to the nearest shopping centre to crawl our way round rubbing shoulders and standing on the heels of  ever other Tom, Dick or Harry who has had the same brainwave. Why are we reluctant to allow ourselves to get in to the festive mood a bit earlier? We spend the rest of the year dragging ourselves through the normal 9-5 being fed news of tax increases, soaring petrol costs and corrupt politicians - Isn't it fair to give ourselves as much of the festive season as we can? We owe it to ourselves!!

I'm 23 and still welcome christmas with open arms like a young child. Inside of me there will always be the happy long haired girl who loves nothing more than seeing christmas trees covered in lights and the Coca cola advert on tv. While this year is going to be a bit different to the past 6yrs, i am going to throw myself in to the warmth of my family and celebrate with my loved ones!

23 days to go everyone!!!!

Sophie
x