Middle NZ: Yearning for Yuletide

Roll on Christmas time. Photo / File

I love Christmas and this year it can't come soon enough.

Every year there's debate about how early is too early for stores to start selling Christmas decorations, and indeed how early is too early to put up your decorations.

Most years I wait until about the second week in December — not this year. This year — and I'm restraining myself here — they are going up on December 1 and I'm going to go all-out.

Mr Neat won't be impressed — he's a bit of a grinch but I'm sure once he has seen all the lovely decorations I have been collecting dotted around the house he will be thrilled.

There are going to be candles, twinkling lights, Christmas trees (big and small), baubles, tinsel, reindeer, nutcrackers, and a whole lot more that I haven't thought of yet.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't wait to see the back of 2020. It's been full of Covid and politics and quite frankly I've had enough.

Linda Hall

I have heard that there's a certain cafe in Napier that has already put up decorations.

Usually, I would say it was a little early but not this year. If it makes you feel happy, do it.

Over the years I have gathered what I would call a modest collection of Christmas decorations. Some are years old. Every year I add one or two things, however this year I can't seem to restrain myself. The only thing that stops me is busting my budget.

I'm eagerly awaiting the sales but there's a problem. Almost every morning when I go and get coffee with one of my colleagues we walk past Hutchinson's in Heretaunga St and almost every day lately they have had beautiful new Christmas decorations in their window.

We always stop and admire them. One day last week we couldn't resist and in we went, oohing and aahing over the glassware, the candles, these gorgeous little houses with tealights in them, the tableware — I could go on. Both of us walked out with bags and a smile on our faces as we planned just where they were going to sit in our homes.

Simple pleasures.

So technically I have added to my collection this year and I should stop, but there are just one or two things I might need to complete the look I'm going for which is, umm, decorations galore.

I might even get some crepe paper and make some of those streamers and string them across the ceiling. Cheap way to brighten up a room but somehow I don't think that would go down very well.

I'm sure this Christmas there are going to be some huge family gatherings. After all, we most likely won't be going anywhere other than our backyards.

New Year is also going to be party central as we send 2020 packing.

I think we all know 2021 isn't going to be a bed of roses but I'm crossing my fingers it might be just a little bit better than this year, and the first thing I'm going to do is go to the New Year sales and stock up on decorations.

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.