Bah, humbug

St Hubert
Yesterday's weather: beautifully sunny.

They've moved things around in the supermarkets again. They do this from time to time. Carrefour have even put up a marquee outside. We got quite excited, thinking that it might have something interesting in, but no, it looks a bit like a cross between Primark and TK Max without the designer clothes and with lots more of those articles that no-one particularly wants to buy: a few odd plates that once belonged to a set, a couple of poor quality towels and a few hedge trimmers(?).

Inside it has suddenly become ToysRUs. Piles of Disney dolls and toys, Lego and Spiderman have taken over three aisles. They are all overpriced to my mind. Do I already sound like Scrooge? and it's only 3 November. Because it is half term groups of children have been excitedly eyeing up the choice, no doubt ready to write their letters to Santa (do they do that in France?) and parents are wondering whether they a) have room for more toys b) can afford that Spiderman limousine for little Pierre and c) thinking that if little Jean next door has it then they will have to do both a and b.

In the next aisle there is an amazing array of chocolates, sweets and biscuits - I'd look very carefully at the sell-by dates before buying and if you buy them early hide them well. I've done this in the past and found packs of out of date chocolates at the back of the wardrobe at the end of January.

I really thought that this year Christmas would start much later than in the UK, and I suppose it has. In the US there is still Thanksgiving to get through before the Christmas season starts.

I'll never forget being in New York one Thanksgiving, we watched Macy's parade from beside Central Park on one of the coldest days I have ever known in my life, then the next day, Black Friday, we saw the Empire State building had changed from its Thanksgiving colours (lit up in orange) to its Christmas colours, red and green lights. Macy's put up its Christmas decorations and suddenly it all became like Miracle on 34th Street.

I don't really like to think about Christmas before 1 December so I will just blank it out until then this year.

Except....

I did buy my cards yesterday and plan to get them written this weekend.