Editorial: I used to love Christmas, before I got old and cynical

I used to love decorating the Christmas tree, but I would never go as far as decorating the house. Photo / Chris Steel

Good lord, it’s just over a month to Christmas!

Where has the year gone?

Instead of doing some kind of retrospective of the past year, I was thinking about Christmas memories.

I don’t remember much about my childhood Christmases before we moved from the horrid two-storey unit we had in Highbury, but I do remember we had a pine tree.

At some point, my parents bought one of those fake tinsel trees. Between the ages of 5 and probably about 12, it was my job to decorate the Christmas tree.

Yes, I’m one of those. I still believed in the magic of Christmas right up until I got old and cynical. I remember still working at the Chronicle and buying Christmas stuff, like the Farmers Santa bears (remember those?) and just about every kitschy thing I could afford. I didn’t decorate my flat, though, beyond having a Christmas tree. Who do you think I am? Tim the Toolman Taylor?

Years later, I figured Christmas was for the kids, but I didn’t have any to spoil. So now it’s just a quiet day with the parents or at home vegging in front of the TV.

Before I get too cynical, I wanted to relive a couple of memories, especially with Christmas parades around the district happening in the next couple of weeks.

When I was little, my dad worked for a place called Watson Bros. It was one of those wholesaler-type places, and Dad would often deliver groceries around Palmy in a van. One year, they decided to get involved in the Palmy Christmas parade and dressed up the van as a Christmas parcel. I got to ride in the van, which was fun. I wasn’t yet at that really self-conscious age.

Fast-forward about 20 years, and my office at the Kāpiti News (then still part of the Chronicle) decided to get involved in the Christmas parade. We had a float, and staff members were made up as clowns. Thank goodness I don’t have a photo from that time, because I looked like a complete dork. Well, more dorkier than I usually am.

Still, it was kind of nice to get involved. It helps get the business name out there, and it’s cool to see what people can dream up for floats. I’ve seen some great displays over the years.

So don’t be a Grinch like me. Get out and enjoy yourselves over the coming season.

And just so I don’t sound like a complete Grinch, here’s a couple of jokes you might enjoy. One was told to me by a friend, and the other I picked up from an internet search.

Q: What’s the difference between a snowman and a snowwoman?

A: Snowballs.

Q: How is Christmas exactly like your job?

A: You do all the work and some fat guy in a suit gets all the credit.