Let’s do this together

The family at the end of my street have already decked their halls – or three-bed semi – with boughs of flashing holly, a light-up sleigh and strobe disco lights that are so bright, passing astronauts will think they’ve found another star in the galaxy.

I was grumbling about the festive season coming too early while on the phone to my friend Elaine, as we were arranging to celebrate her new job tonight.

The Dark Lord has been friends with Elaine’s daughter Chloe since they went to junior school together, but as often happens with teenagers, they fall in and out of friendship over the really vital things – like who loves Harry Styles more.

But Elaine replied, “Oh I don’t know. It seems like a good idea to get the tree done this weekend. Plus it’s a teacher’s inset day on Friday for some reason, so it’ll keep Chloe busy while I’m working.”

Usually, Elaine and I just roll our eyes and open another bottle of wine, ignore the girls’ silly rows and agree with each other, but this time, we are not as one on the subject of putting the Crimbo decorations up before December 1.

And she’s not the only one who can’t wait. According to Admiral Insurance, one in five of us will be dragging out the tinsel and boxes of baubles and doing up the house and tree this weekend.

Are you one of them? Are you getting in the Christmas spirit early and bringing the decorations down from the loft already?

Send your festive pictures to me at siobhan. mcnally@mirror.co.uk or write to Community Corner, PO Box 791, Winchester SO23 3RP.