So, its nearly Halloween time again and guess what? Christmas products are everywhere to be seen already. OMG. Far too early for me. But the other side of it is, its time to get organised or start to think about the white-bearded man…. SANTA. I have two very excited kids who asked me to get the Smyths catalogue two weeks ago. They have earmarked the pages with their most wanted toys.
Six-year-olds change their minds so much, so is it safe to get Santa stuff yet? And what about the other 17-year-old child, who wants oodles of cash for clothes in Brown Thomas. My head is beginning to burst already with stress. Thank god the twins are at an easier age to please. But who is this new child celebrity they love? Ryan on youtube, my kids are obsessed with him and his videos, Ryan’s toy views. All the toys from his videos are stacked in Smyths and very overpriced. One big egg-like toy is €50 alone. Now when you have to times that by two its scary for any parent.
I’m sure Ryans toys will be in my sitting room on Christmas morning but looking back on my own memories of Christmas morning, I have great memories. We were lucky and never disappointed. The room was full of presents and surprises galore. We would sit there for hours checking each other’s new items, swapping bars from selection boxes (I hated Double Deckers and would swap them for the Fudge) and reading our annuals. Our Christmas clothes hung up in our wardrobe, tags still on, ready to be worn for mass. The waft of an already cooked ham, lingering in the whole house and the turkey basted, washed and ready to be cooked. My favourite meal has always been my Christmas dinner. Why do we only do it on Christmas day?
So, I will begin the task at hand of purchasing Christmas presents very soon starting with the Smyths catalogue. It is a special time of the year when you have young kids, they make it special and for a short time really so I’ll be enjoying it for another few years yet. And then I will probably need shares in Brown Thomas for three grown-up children.