Tradition is a counterproductive force that undermines modernity – am I right? Except when it comes to Christmas, that is!
As a Norwegian I think you Brits should find the way you celebrate Christmas embarrassing. It’s too commercial – and too American!
Don’t get me wrong, as a self-proclaimed Christmas fanatic I love a bit of tacky lighting and pompous carol singing, but the insanity of ‘Black Friday’, and all those scary mechanical Santas, has had me wishing I was back home in a cosy cabin amidst a snow white forest.
It’s not really the lack of religion that worries me. After all, there’s enough of that over the rest of the year, so does it really have to ruin Christmas as well? But it’s the lack of anything that feels like it’s part of your real culture that gets me all sappy and homesick.
If you aren’t careful Christmas over here can quickly become a nightmare: family you don’t really like; eating food that’s going to stick to your love handles way into February; cheap plastic decorations; jumpers that light up; and of course Mariah Carey’s Christmas album!
Please don’t tell me that I’m the only person who can smell real Christmas in the air?
So follow the scent! Turn your back on the craziness and relax. Light the fire, snuggle up with some mulled wine and enjoy the fact that you’ve got a whole holiday dedicated to spending time with the ones you love. Stay away from the shops and you’ll find it’s awesome!
And see, I didn’t even mention Christmas presents once!
P.S. Christmas should be more like the film below: small markets (this one is at the South Bank) and mulled wine…