Bah, Humbug!By ROB WALLSIt's that time again...A wave of depression swept over me. I saw my first domestic Christmas tree in the window of a South Hobart house this morning. It must be Christmas already. But NO IT' S NOT! Checking all my sources, nowhere could I find any reference to Jesus Christ having been a premature baby. Yet, the Hobart City Council has managed to get its obligatory cotton-wool parade, the annual Christmas pageant, out of the way last week. I've had at least one invitation to a Christmas party held in November. The excuse given was that everyone is so busy attending Christmas parties in December that it seemed like a good idea to get it out of the way early. What is it about Christmas that people start celebrating in November? Do these eager beavers actually open their presents a month early? God, have some self-control! If we move Christmas to November will they start in October? With any luck we'll end up celebrating Christmas on the winter-solstice...which was what it was all about in the first place wasn't it? All that "traditional" stodgy food would be far more appealing in the colder months and perhaps scenes of snow and sleighs would begin to make sense. Maybe while we are at it we could get Australia's recently adopted habit of celebrating Halloween moved to a time when pumpkins are ripening. Perhaps if we were to begin to celebrate a Christmas independent of Europe, Santa might finally put a republic in our stocking. Oh well, one can only dream. In the meantime, now that Christmas is out of the way, keep your eyes peeled for the hot-cross buns to appear on the supermarket bakery shelves. Easter is only a few months away. Rob Walls is a curmudgeonly British-born,naturalised Australian, who after nearly 50 years of living in Australia can't understand why native-born Australians don't create their own bloody traditions. But then his Australian-born sister-in-law still insists on a "traditional" Christmas dinner...she is half-Chinese! PS: Merry bloody Christmas...
RAPID RESPONSE EMAIL: What do you think? Thursday, November 25, 2004 |