Monday 18 October 2010

Christmas is coming!!!!

On October Jed and I were on our way to do some shopping when we realized to our horror that Christmas lights had already appeared on Morley's main street. Of course they won't be turned on until late November but these are giant christmas bells and things suspended between the buildings, they're not easy to miss. In being completely truthful I was elated to see them going up because for me it could be Christmas all year and I wouldn't complain. Still, for many people it's very frustrating to see the decorations going up so early. Something I have learned this year about the UK is that they really don't decorate for any other season that Christmas. Of course the stores take full advantage of things like halloween but to anyone over thirty halloween might as well not exist so there really is no transition from summer to Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I've already started all my Christmas crafts and can't wait decorate gingerbread houses but in his wisdom Jed has set a ban on Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. It's only fair I guess ;).
That brings me to Thanksgiving, and yes, we will be celebrating here in Morley. We've already invited an American couple and their two little girls to join us for our feast. I feel a little guilty in making it an all American event. The fact of the matter is still that, even though I would love to have a true thanksgiving feast with about twenty people in attendance, if we started inviting friends from Morley it would be really hard to find where to stop. It seems a shame that we can't share such a wonderful holiday with our English friends but the cost would make it impossible. Still we are looking forward to a little slice of Americana.
I am now about one third of the way through my Christmas gift knitting. I've made quite a few scarves and a few pairs of mittens. My goal is to finish the things that need to go to the states by Thanksgiving so they can have plenty of time to get there. I just hope that will leave me enough time to get things for our friends here finished. When I get them all finished I'll take one big picture before I give them away just so I'll have a record. I've forgotten to do that in the past and I'm sure there are more of my creations floating around out there that I have long since forgotten about. I would post pictures of things in progress but then that would spoil the surprises so pictures will have to wait.