It's nearly Christmas! (So there's a giant conifer tree in town?)

It is, if you hadn't gathered by the appearance of the Santa's Grotto in town, or the fact that it is 22nd December, it's nearly Christmas!

First, I must channel my frustration at that same Santa's Grotto through the medium of a neatly structured paragraph. It is, it must be said, the ugliest I have ever seen erected in a town centre. It's not even a conifer tree (which, for the record, are the more unattractive trees possibly ever invented by God), it's a fake conifer tree. Can you get any worse? Even the star on top is crappy and mishapen and not even very bright. The whole grotto - and the fact that it costs £4.50 to get inside - is just the appitany of crap.

Aside from this, I do rather appreciate the appearance of Christmas trees and decorations left right and centre. The road I live on is rather famed  for it's flamboyant light display and, sure enough, this year is no exception. On the 1st December, the lights pop up on the trees and houses. Some are very OTT, but some do manage to get the balance between sublime and ridiculous right.

One thing that always makes me feel decidedly more Christmassy is Christmas films. 'The Holiday', for example, 'Elf' and 'The Grinch'. None are groundbreaking examples of movies but they all possess the feel-good factor, and warm your heart ever so slightly. Speaking of films, the Harry Potter I've been watching has just finished :(

Harry Potter also makes me feel Christmassy, because it also has Christmas somewhere in it, as it runs over the course of a year. I feel like makes it qualifiable (is that a word?).

Very soon, we shall be making our annual drive down to Worthing (that's in Sussex for the uneducated, which is kind of near London for the even stupider ;) to see our cousins. We always gather for Christmas Day and it is always something I look forward to immensely. My youngest cousin is only 2 weeks younger than me, but in a different school year. I know the divide has to happen at one point, but it has always been a source of great amusement to me that, despite technically not even being a month older than Stevie, I can mock him for immaturity. My other cousins are quite a bit older than me - one is living in America, one is a dancer like me, one does something with computers (I think...). All are gathering in Worthing for Christmas. That's if the snow holds out. At the moment there is 50/50 we won't even make it to Worthing because of the weather. This would, naturally, suck. I love my cousins and my aunties and uncles very much and I've never spent a Christmas (that I can remember) without them. Here's hoping the weather improves!

Speaking of snow, I think I am going to kill the person who invented black ice. It shall be the death of me.

Also, why are pantomimes Christmassy? I've always found them rather annoying, but I put up with them because they seem to be an embedded part of my family's Christmas traditions.

God bless, and I hope you have a lovely Christmas - and remember why Christmas even happens!
Love, Anna :)