Opinion: Only 16 Mondays left until Christmas, 17 until 2018 ends

A lot can happen in 16 Mondays.

If you're pregnant you may be able to find out the gender of your child, it's enough time to train for a half marathon, or you can pick up your life and move it to another country if you so wish in that timeframe.

There is lots you can do, achieve or tick off the list in that time - 16 Mondays is both plenty of time and not enough time, at the same time.

Guess what the date will be in 16 Mondays' time? It will be December 24. Yikes.

The countdown is a little alarming - because given how fast the year has already gone, 16 Mondays will no doubt roll around pretty quickly because it's hands-down my favourite time of the year.

In 16 Mondays many of us will be getting ready to enjoy another Christmas Day, spending time with loved ones, preparing food for a Christmas feast, and picking up final gifts and wrapping them to put under the tree.

Some will be spending this date at their church of choice, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

For others, it will be just another day, with another seven to go before the end of the year.

Either way, the year seems to have flown by.

We're already into spring, which means our days will start to get longer and, despite recent weather conditions, we'll likely see more fine days than not.

And it's only a matter of time before we see Christmas puddings, biscuit gift packs and fruit mince pies lining the supermarket shelves (if they're not there already) - they're definitely already on display in Western Australia - decorated trees in store windows and Christmas specials to lure in the Christmas shoppers.

But there is more to Christmas than fun, sun and loved ones.

For some it's not an enjoyable time of the year. It can be stressful for struggling families who want to be able to give more than they are able and it can be lonely for those who don't have friends or family, which is a good reminder to appreciate what you do have.

With Christmas just 16 Mondays away, it means we're getting close to closing off another year as well - 17 Mondays until 2019 to be exact.