You can't tell me when it's Christmas

There are two types of people who have their birthday in December:

• People like my father who hated that Christmas was overshadowing his birthday on 5th December
• People like my Mum's stepfather who loved that all the Christmas goodies were in the shops, just in time for his birthday on 6th December.

Uncle Reg, Mum's stepfather, loved pecan nuts.  In a world where things were still seasonal, they would appear in the shops around the 1st of December.  My Grandmother (Mum's mum) would always make sure she came home a little early on the first friday of the month so she could stop off at the greengrocers and buy him a big brown paper bag full.

The rose gold tinge of their shell is so linked to December, in my mind.

Even with my birthday being in October, and many of the Christmas gifts being in the shops in September I didn't mind.  There was more chance I'd get an exciting birthday present because of it. 

In those heady days of the 70s, as a child, Halloweven wasn't really an event in South London.  So, it would be Christmas presents on sale September / October, then fireworks late October to 5th November and suddenly all the shops had Christmas decorations.  If you had an artificial tree (normally silver tinsel!) you could put it up in early December, but for those of us who had a real tree, then it would be week before Christmas.

Christmas preparations would start in earnest on the last Sunday of November, for those who would make their own sugary delights.  Stir up Sunday is traditionally the day that families would make their Christmas Puddings and often their Christmas cake.

The reason for doing it so early was preservation and economy of time.  In the run up to Christmas, pre microwaves, finding time to steam a pudding for 8 hours, in order to cook it, would be difficult.  But if everyone was doing it on the same day, you wouldn't be expected to have visitors.

Fruit cakes are edible on the day that they are baked but it is one of those wonderful and magical chemical reaction things that a fruit cake is better if it's left to mature.  To help with that, we would feed it with a begrudingly given amount of whisky from my father's drinks cabinet.

I still make a Dundee Cake each year, using Mary Berry's receipe, only mine are cooked in mini cake tins that give two bites so you can snaffle one and not feel guilty.

In our house it's served straight and not with cheese which my Australian husband was shocked to discover his relatives in Yorkshire do.  He was also shocked by how much whisky was in the cake they served him and had to not drive for 6 hours after the cake!

Even if you want to ban Christmas until after your December birthday then you are going to have problem with Advent Calendars.  Due to their nature, they have to start on 1st December.

This year, I had bought Hubby a chocolate one, as usual, but when doing my shopping order on Thursday, I saw the Woodmansterne Caltime Nativity Scene.  It was reduced because, well it was the 30th November.  So I treated myself.

Each day I get to take a few minutes out of my life and build a bit of the scene and I'm using it as a way to think and reflect in the lead up to Christmas this year.

For those, who, like my father gate keep when Christmas can start (normally after their birthdays), it smacks of those Bridezillas who won’t let others do anything during their wedding year.  

We each need to choose when our own Christmases start for us.

Just beind me, whilst I sit at my desk, is my candle advent calendar. 

This is a treat to have a small candle burn during my days when I'm in my home office, or light when I'm in bed, reading.

Again, it's an opportunity to take a few minutes out of my day to stop and reflect.

Someone once said to me that I was a hypocrite because I went to church or synagogue but I wasn't perfect.  I didn't respond because there was no point. 

They weren't going to understand that I follow my faith because I am NOT perfect. 

But I always strive to be a little better each day.