Apart from the TV ads, a sure sign that Xmas is just around the corner here is that the Police are out in force randomly stopping motorists to see if there is something they can fine them for! 

Always happens around this time of year, and I and many others are convinced the on the spot fines are used to top up the Police Xmas and New Year Party Fund. 

I tend not to use the car as much at this time of year if I can avoid it, what signs are there where you live that indicates Xmas is just around the corner?

Will have to search the train/store room for our Xmas Decs which we always put up on the 1st of December, and at the same time many of the residents on our complex decorate their balconies with fairy lights and other Xmas items.

The Xmas and New Year celebrations tend to go on for ever here, as the Canarians main celebration day is Jan 6th (3 Kings Day), and on the evening of Jan 5th the 3 Kings on camels parade through the streets followed by floats and fireworks.

It is also my birthday on December 11th,  so I tend to start celebrating early, and it is a long time from then to January 6th, but this year we are off on a Cruise on December 30th, so will miss the local celebrations for the New Year and the 3 Kings.

Quote from: Tdm on November 24, 2014, 06:17:43 PM


what signs are there where you live that indicates Xmas is just around the corner?

Usually Easter eggs and Valentine cards in the shops..... 

All the humbugs have disappeared from the shops. Bah - Humbug

Quote from: Tdm on November 24, 2014, 06:17:43 PMI tend not to use the car as much at this time of year if I can avoid it, what signs are there where you live that indicates Xmas is just around the corner?

Hallowe'en being over is usually a good sign, in this neck of the woods.

Non-stop Christmas muzak from the start of November.

And it's not like Christmas is even a holiday here either.

Quote from: Agrippa on November 24, 2014, 06:26:26 PM

Quote from: Tdm on November 24, 2014, 06:17:43 PM


what signs are there where you live that indicates Xmas is just around the corner?

Usually Easter eggs and Valentine cards in the shops..... 

Over here, it's like, Christmas decorations appearing in shops in August. I even know of one local bowling club that never takes 'em down! 

The bloke 2 doors down from me always had his Christmas stocking up on the fireplace for the last 8 years (he always left his curtains open 24/7 so I wasn't being nosy, honest). It has disappeared in the last couple of weeks along with most of the other things in there. He also seems to have disappeared so he may no longer be with us.

Geez.... I hope there's no bad smells, or anything.... anybody checked up on him? 

I'll never forgive him for stealing a case of wine from me. Ok he didn't steal it 'from' me but it got delivered there and he said he hadn't seen it. About 3 months later he said he found it in his shed.
I forgot to mention that someone, maybe his daughter, has been round there a bit lately so I'm guessing/hoping she knows where he is. A load of stuff appeared in the front garden a while ago with a sign saying you could take whatever you wanted. No N gauge there though. I wouldn't mind looking in the loft and garage though, he was a bit of a hoarder it seems.

You might find a couple of more cases of your wine! 

I don't think there are any more missing. We actually had it replaced before he owned up so we ended up with an extra case free of charge. Just don't tell Laithwaites 

Anyway, it won't be Christmas in the TF household until 10 days before the 25th at the earliest.

Thought I should post back on topic or someone will tell us off  :'(

I've just told meself off as I'm the one who took us off it! 

George 

Come to think of it, my wife decorated the evergreen same-general-shape-as-an-xmas-tree tree thingies outside our house last week, or maybe the week before. And we're not the first ones in the street either. Though we haven't put flashy lights (or any lights) in them at all, unlike some of the neighbours, one of whom leave theirs in all year round.

With those kinds of exceptions, come December 25th all this stuff vanishes literally overnight and everything goes into New Year celebration mode, which is the actual end-of-year holiday here.

Christmas started on our street at 0000 01/11/2014 (as soon as Halloween was over).  We don't put decorations up until after 6th December but there are already two Christmas trees up on this street.  One of them has been up for a couple of weeks.

I work on the principle of the decorations go up around the 18th and come down by 6th.  Get the mess cleared away sooner and as I have only just repainted the living room then Sellotape is banned....

In our household its packing and getting ready to fly south to get away from it all!

Christmas tree will come out off the loft the week before and be back up there by new year.
Nobby, can still get humbugs round here

Personally more interested in making sure we have rock salt and the snow shovel is ready for the bad winter we will probably get.