The Christmas countdown has begun...

Any mention of yuletide before December is normally a no-no. But this year, it could be the cheer we all need, says Christina Hopkinson

This weekend, there was a distinct crackle of something unfamiliar, something that felt almost like… excitement. Perhaps it was the end of October, with its record-breaking rains, perhaps it was the US election drama – but hordes milled about on their government-mandated walks; the warming smell of mulled wine and cider drifted out from the pubs that had set up takeaway hatches, cinnamon buns and gingerbread were sold at pop-up stalls and fires were lit in the chimineas and pits we’d bought when we were still allowed friends over for backyard cocktails.

Netflix has launched its usual slew of festive films with cringeworthy titles and snow-covered romcoms set in the mythical alpine Kingdom of Belgravia ( Holidate or Christmas with a Prince anybody?). The annual Christmas adverts are already filling our screens, while online, supermarkets are due to release their yuletide slots to greater clamour than ever.

Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – yet the embers of Bonfire Night are barely cold. Normally we’d eye-roll and moan about it getting earlier every year, but this time, the prospect of the longest ever Christmas feels different. Even the most bahhumbuggish of us are relishing the chance to think about anything other than R numbers and infection rates.

My rule of not engaging with Christmas until after my daughter’s birthday on November 29 has been abandoned with uncharacteristic glee. Festive partying like it’s 2020 might mean fewer guests, but there will be more enthusiasm.

It’s partly that lockdown, even in its spring incarnation, feels a lot like most people’s Christmases. We indulge in too much food, booze and TV. We disinter jigsaws and board games and become confused about what day of the week it is. The traditional Boxing Day walk becomes a daily ritual. Now lockdown has coincided with its natural season, winter, our instinct to hunker down has become something we’re legally obliged to do. Freed of our commutes and battles with crowds on the high street, Christmas 2020 is a throwback to ancient Yule festivals that celebrated the sun’s rebirth on the winter solstice.

Stripped of opportunities to shop and to party, a pared-down Christmas feels as delightfully old-fashioned as a tangerine at the bottom of the stocking.

Some of Lockdown 1’s qualities lend themselves well to the Christmas season. The compassion towards one’s neighbours and the yearning for family will carry on throughout December.

John Lewis’s Christmas advert, set to drop any day, is inspired by “the heartwarming acts of kindness” that the pandemic has inspired and will raise money for the charities Fareshare and Home-start. For all our Zoom fatigue, the new ways we found to connect with family and friends will allow us to see and talk with them this Christmas wherever they are. I always miss my brother and my best friend who both live in the States, but now at least I know that we’ll be able to get together, albeit digitally, on the 25th, without any climate-changing flights.

Lockdown forcing us outside has led to a greater embrace of the Nordic concept of friluftsliv, which means to enjoy life whatever the weather. Many of us have been surprised at how much better we feel for getting outdoors, and this Christmas I’m thankful to have spent money on fur-lined Tretorn wellies, rather than party heels. Covid has been the mother of invention and we’re already inventing new Christmas traditions. I’ve heard of a homemade lockdown countdown calendar, much like an advent one, with sweets behind every door that will overlap nicely with the real thing.

Friends are discussing replacing the exchanging of tat in favour of poems, artworks or songs. I know my parents would prefer heartfelt words to Amazon-bought goods. Primary schools are planning on filming their nativity performances – the perfect gift for grandparents.

Here’s how to make the most of what just might be the longest ever Christmas season.