IS IT TOO EARLY FOR SOME CHRISTMAS FUN?
Christmas has come early for the Coast this year and, according to council, residents are officially unhappy. So how do we treat this surge in Scrooges?
FOR a city built on holidays, we sure do have a problem when it comes to festive celebrations.
While it warms my cold heart to see residents begin to embrace Halloween, it’s been awfully tricky to convince Aussies of the treat that is October 31.
Encouraging its adoption had me feeling like a CSIRO scientist on social media, battling against fake news and conspiracy theories. To recap: Halloween has its roots in Celtic celebrations, not American; it’s co-opted by Christians as part of All Souls Day on November 1; costumes are not meant solely to be scary but fun (witness my family’s 2020 Tiger King ensemble) and finally … what part of free lollies and neighbourly bonhomie is not to like?
But Halloween is only the start of our silly season crisis.
What really has me worried is that we seem to have a surge of Scrooges in our midst.
Now I’ll admit that I’ve been sceptical of Christmas decorations surfacing in September, but ever since the pandemic appeared I’m embracing any symbol of hope and good cheer.
Apparently though, I’m in the minority.
When the City of Gold Coast decided to deck the halls of our transportation routes with signs of Christmas jolly this month, it seems it did not spark joy for many.
In fact, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin’s poll, more than 70 per cent of respondents believe the council suffers from premature treejaculation (my words, my apologies).
In fact, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin’s poll, more than 70 per cent of respondents believe the council suffers from premature treejaculation (my words, my apologies).
Fair enough, October does seem early, but the fact that some residents have gone so far as to file official complaints about holiday signage really makes me lose ho-ho-hope for humanity.
Fortunately, it seems we have a one-man Santa saviour in our city – Councillor William Owen-jones.
After receiving one such complaint about Christmas banners, Cr Owen-jones decided to do some digging on decorations.
“It turns out, turning on
Christmas across a city involves logistics greater than unpacking a single tree from the box in the garage,” he says.
Indeed, city officers advised him that:
The Christmas street pole banner rollout comprises over 1000 banners across 14 divisions (around 80 more than last year).
The Christmas decoration rollout includes more than 135 separate installations (over a dozen more than last year).
The city banners contractor (aka Chief Elf) is also required to carry out decoration installs across the city.
Many of the installations require access permits, partial road closures and special EWP cranes/trucks etc.
Last year the contractor began installations on October 15 and took 6.5 weeks to complete all installs.
Some locations can only safely be accessed in the very early hours of the morning (24am) to minimise disruptions and safety.
All work is required to be completed by the weekend just before December 1.
So, in a nut(cracker) shell: it’s a huge job that’s grown even bigger this year, which is why decorating commenced
five days earlier than in 2020. Yes, five days.
But really, the ultimate conclusion from this Christmas investigation is clear: sometimes, you just can’t win.
“Without a doubt, if we didn’t have the decorations up by December 1, people would say we have no holiday spirit. In this case, better to be too early than too late,” he says.
“What I am grateful for is that no one has complained – yet – that our signage includes the word ‘Christmas’. No one is asking for Festivus, thank goodness.”
Meanwhile, for those who
support not just festive celebrations but excellent public transportation, Cr Owen-jones is delivering yet again.
In keeping with a new Christmas tradition, he is organising a giant Santa ride on the Gold Coast’s favourite sleigh – the light rail. While the date is yet to be determined, just dress up in your best St Nick suit, and hop aboard at your closest G:link station and spread some much-needed cheer across the Coast.
For this festive fan who supports the tram … it’s like all my Christmases have come at once.