Going Over The Top At Christmas
Christmas is as we all know a time of excess and for the most part this is great. It’s what Christmas is about. Yet there are still some people that go that extra yard, or ten, which doesn’t just result in an over the top outcome, but it takes some real commitment and effort… sometimes to the detriment of the Christmas spirit, and is it really worth it? Potentially, absolutely!
Decorating the House
Photo Credit: KB35
If you’ve seen National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, you’ll have some idea of the associated dangers of going overboard in this department. Needless to say decorating the house is, if done well, a great way to get into the festive mood. Not only does it give your house the look of a warm grotto of Christmas loveliness, it spreads cheer through the neighbourhood. Great stuff, if you keep it tasteful.
The ever more cheaply available Christmas fare has allowed this tradition to get somewhat out of hand. Inflatable and giant light up versions of just about every Christmas character ever conceived are allowing perpetually more misguided adornment of yards and homes. What do a penguin and polar bear have to do with Christmas? Just because they’re wearing a scarf and hat doesn’t make them festive, they just live in the cold. It’s not enough of a reason for them to be considered Christmassy. But then again, who can resist a penguin in a bobble hat?! No-one!
Finding The Right Christmas Tree
Photo Credit: Thom Watson
The humble Christmas tree, such a modest statement of the festive period, a symbol of the evergreen nature of the seasons brought inside. They key in this statement is ‘symbol’ as it occasionally appears to be lost on some Christmas revellers. The trend it seems is setting oneself the challenge of defying physics, buying Christmas trees of huge size apparently believing their homes have the space bending ability of Dr. Who’s Tardis.
And it isn’t just a trip to nursery and picking up said suitable tree. The process now goes like this. Head to a Christmas tree farm, pay for the privilege of marauding through fields hacksaw in hand finding the ‘perfect’ tree and then sawing it down yourself, while taking care not to be crushed by its epic size as you make the final cut after an hour of awkward and very amateur lumberjack impersonating. You are rewarded by now being able to carry it back across the aforementioned field, placing it on or in your car, both of which will at least dirty significantly, if not permanently damage the vehicle. Then it’s time to get it home.
After a tricky trip with hampered driving and obscured vision due to the ‘half a forest’ you’ve attached to your car you get home. Getting it into the house time, which means invariably breaking at least one thing in every room you have to drag it through, causing the tree to lose most of its needles while forcing through doors and then spending considerable time wondering where the best place to put it is… now all you need to do is secure it in a base and decorate it! However, it’s all worth it right? Well, if the image above is anything to go by, yes!
Cooking the Christmas Turkey
Photo Credit: kat+sam
Has anyone ever had a Christmas dinner where there wasn’t turkey left over? Christmas is a time of sharing and goodwill, which is convenient as buying excessively sized foul for the foody centrepiece of the day has often resulted in a favour from a friend. Usually from the friend with a freezer or cooker that is twice the size of yours. What were you thinking that big ol’ bird was never going to fit!
However, it’s the cooking stage where excess can really take over. Fancy trying stuffing you turkey with a chicken, that’s been stuffed with a wood pigeon? If that isn’t enough, why not pop the turkey inside a goose? It is likely delicious, but let’s face it, beyond excessive. This is why it’d be so so good!
What have we learnt from this little run down? That its’ Christmas and you should embrace the excess with a skip in your step and smile on your face, if you can’t go crazy during the holidays, when else are you going to?!
David James is interested in all things off-beat and reflects this in his work for Find Me A Gift, the quirky retailer of unique Christmas present ideas to suit all budgets and personalities.
