November means two things to me. Bonfire Night and Christmas shopping. The two couldn’t be more different. The first is all about unmaterialistic innocence. Warming hands by the fire clothed in woollies and wellies, sharing a hot pot whilst oohing and ahhing over a few dodgy fireworks.
The second sees more money changing hands than the Las Vegas Strip – on a good day. Shops are packed to the rafters, all car parks overflowing and there are more bag swinging injuries to small children than A&E can cope with.
It’s no wonder so many people choose to shop online these days. You can have a good old browse without having to carry 72 bags wrapped in that lovely warm coat (which seemed like a good idea when you put it on but not so in the beating heart of Selfridges on a Saturday). You can dart from bikes to bedding a thousand times, safe in the knowledge that you won’t appear slightly unhinged. And best of all, you can do it all with a cup of tea in hand! In fact, why not give it a whirl right now and get your shopping underway? Shameless plugging I know, but why should you miss out on our gorgeous gifts for Christmas? Oh and let me just remind you that we‘re offering £50 worth of Marks & Spencer vouchers with every order over £750…
Meanwhile, we have Bonfire Night to contend with. I love it, not least because it’s pretty much the same as it was when I was in nappies. Ok the fireworks are a bit bigger and maybe the bonfires too, but basically it’s still wholesome family fun. There will always be hotpot, red cabbage and pickles and there will always be Traffic Lights too…you know the ones that just spurt red, amber and green, then think about doing it again a couple of times before sputtering to a rather unspectacular finish. Finally, there will always be children attempting to write their names in the sky before that pesky sparkler burns out.
The worst that can happen on Bonfire Night (apart from a renegade Catherine Wheel ripping down your fence) is a downpour, although that didn’t stop my dad from putting on a rather different type of firework display in the garage one year. The build up was massive, the anticipation so high that our eyes were on stalks. When it finally did get underway, the expected “oohs” and “aahhs”, came out rather differently, more of an “oh”…Then laughter, lots of laughter, at the tiny tablets that magically turned into little doggy poos right before our eyes. Poor old Dad!
We hope you have a happy, fun and very safe Bonfire Night!