The Joys of Christmas – A UK Take on Our Favourite Festive Madness
Fairy Tale Of Hull At Christmas – Dirty Old Town
Just to mug you all off on a quiet Sunday while you contemplate your Sunday lunch or the visit to the pub for a few beers — I give you this courtesy of Saverstreet
Christmas now, I’m late at posting stuff like this because the pubs and restaurants of the UK published their menus in August. The supermarkets quietly snuck in Christmas aisles in September, and garden centres put up Christmas trees and decorations before most of us had even put the barbecue away.
Hope you like the read. Merry October, everybody! ❄️❄️❄️.
By the way Hull is my home City maybe some clever person on youtube could put a video together using Hull instead of New York in the traditional ditty by the pogues.
1. The Slow Creep of Christmas
You know it’s coming. You’re in Tesco, pretending to be healthy, grabbing a bag of salad that will inevitably wilt untouched in the fridge, when you turn a corner and there it is — the Christmas aisle.
In September.
Tins of Quality Street, stacks of mince pies, and a random box of turkey-flavoured crisps. Somewhere between the Halloween sweets and the “Back to School” deals, there’s a glitter explosion of wrapping paper and discounted tinsel.
We act surprised every year — “It gets earlier every year, doesn’t it?” — but we love it. We love to moan about it, post about it, and then secretly buy a tub of Roses “for later” that’s mysteriously empty by the following weekend.
2. The Pub Christmas Menu in August
Nothing says British festive spirit quite like a pub releasing its “Christmas Menu” while it’s still 26°C outside. There’s something both deeply unsettling and charming about sitting in a beer garden, sweating into your pint, and seeing a poster of a roast turkey dinner with the words “Book Now for Christmas!”
And yet, come December, we’re all there. Wearing paper crowns from crackers that don’t fit, laughing at the same jokes (“Why was the snowman looking through the carrots? He was picking his nose!”), and eating stuffing that could double as building material.
You can’t beat it.
3. Garden Centres Go Full Lapland
Garden centres in the UK take Christmas very seriously.
Somewhere around mid-September, the houseplant displays quietly disappear and are replaced with miniature villages, fake snow, animatronic reindeer, and a life-sized Santa that looks like he’s seen things.
You walk in looking for compost and come out having spent £47 on baubles shaped like flamingos and a three-foot light-up reindeer you didn’t know you needed.
And don’t even get me started on the “Christmas Experience” events. There’s always one poor bloke in a padded red suit trying to convince children that he’s just flown in from Lapland when everyone knows he actually drives a Ford Fiesta and works in accounts during the week.
4. The Supermarket Wars Begin
The true start of the UK Christmas season isn’t the Coca-Cola advert or the John Lewis tearjerker. It’s when the supermarkets drop their festive ads.
M&S comes in hot with slow-motion gravy pours. Aldi brings back Kevin the Carrot. Lidl gets weirdly heartfelt. Sainsbury’s goes full cinematic with someone whispering, “It’s the food that makes it.”
And then there’s Asda, who’ll inevitably have Michael Bublé appearing out of a fridge singing “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”
The nation collectively nods and says, “Right, that’s it. It’s officially Christmas.”
5. The Ritual of the Advent Calendar
Gone are the days when an advent calendar was just a bit of cheap chocolate that tasted vaguely of cardboard.
Now, we’ve got gin advent calendars, cheese advent calendars, Lego ones, makeup ones, even ones filled with dog treats.
Nothing says festive excess quite like paying £45 to open tiny drawers of moisturiser samples every morning.
But there’s something magical about that countdown. The daily reveal, the tiny dopamine hit, and the sense that Christmas is edging ever closer — even if you’re simultaneously panicking about having done absolutely no shopping yet.
Different Advent Calendars : Rude Advent Calendar Xmas Tree Calendar paid for links
6. The Great British Weather Debate
“Do you think we’ll get snow this year?”
We ask it every year, knowing full well that the answer is no. What we will get is horizontal rain, gale-force winds, and the kind of cold that makes your ears hurt.
Still, we cling to the dream of a White Christmas. The radio DJ will say, “There’s a 40% chance of snow in Scotland,” and we’ll all act like it’s a nationwide event.
When it does snow, it’s chaos. The country shuts down. Schools close. The trains stop. And the nation collectively loses its mind — half of us outside making snowmen, the other half on Facebook complaining that “it’s ridiculous, this country can’t handle a bit of weather.”
7. The Office Christmas Party
The stuff of legend.
Every workplace has one — the annual gathering where mild-mannered colleagues turn into dancing machines, fuelled by Prosecco and the heady mix of freedom and regret.
The boss does the dad dance. Someone snogs someone they shouldn’t. There’s always a DJ who thinks “Mr Brightside” is still fresh. And the next morning, the WhatsApp group is suspiciously quiet.
But there’s something brilliant about it too. The laughter, the bad jumpers, the free buffet — it’s the closest thing we get to a sitcom episode in real life.
Secret Santa Presents : Joke Sympathy Secret Santa Hairy Beaver Secret Santa Wooden Spoon Secret Santa paid for links
8. The Christmas Jumpers
Once ironic, now essential.
From tasteful Fair Isle knits to jumpers that light up and play “Jingle Bells,” the UK takes Christmas jumper season seriously.
Every December, there’s a day when your entire office, school, or group chat agrees to wear one, and it becomes a parade of absurdity. You’ll see everything from sequined reindeer to 3D Santa bellies.
And we love it. Because underneath the kitsch and chaos, it’s a rare moment when the whole country collectively agrees to be a bit silly together.
Xmas Jumpers : Unisex Xmas Jumpers paid for link
9. The Big Food Shop
The Christmas food shop is not for the faint-hearted.
You plan it like a military operation: list, trolley, caffeine, and patience. You’ll find yourself in Sainsbury’s at 7am fighting someone’s nan for the last bag of parsnips.
There’s always too much of everything — too many crisps, too many cheeses, enough alcohol to open a small bar. You’ll tell yourself you’re being “prepared” and end up eating half of it by Boxing Day.
But oh, the joy of the table — the roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puddings (yes, we’re a pro-Yorkshire-pudding-at-Christmas household), and that glorious moment when you unbutton your jeans in quiet victory.
10. The Christmas Music Takeover
It starts gently — maybe Fairytale of New York, maybe Fairy tale of Hull soon or Last Christmas playing in the background of a café.
By mid-December, it’s everywhere. Shops, taxis, lifts, the dentist’s waiting room — all echoing with Mariah Carey declaring she only wants you for Christmas.
We complain, we groan, we say we’re sick of it — and yet, come Christmas Eve, we’re all belting out Slade like we’re headlining Glastonbury.
11. The Great Christmas Film Rewatch
There’s a sacred list of films that simply must be watched each December:
- Home Alone (1 and 2, obviously).
- Elf.
- Love Actually (divisive, but required).
- The Holiday.
- Die Hard (the eternal debate — is it a Christmas film? Yes. End of discussion.)
There’s something so comforting about these repeats. You know every line, every gag, every heartwarming bit — but it never gets old.
12. The Joy of Giving (and Regifting)
We all start December with the best intentions. “This year, I’m going to shop early. Thoughtful gifts only.”
Cut to December 22nd, and you’re panic-buying candles, novelty socks, and “world’s best whatever” mugs.
Still, there’s real joy in it. Finding that perfect little thing that makes someone smile. Watching kids’ faces light up. And yes, even the awkward moment when you unwrap a “bath bomb set” that you definitely gave them last year.
It’s all part of the dance.
13. The Post-Christmas Bliss
There’s that perfect moment between Christmas and New Year — when no one knows what day it is, you’re living off leftovers, and the highlight of your day is deciding whether to nap before or after the next film.
The tree lights are still twinkling, the house smells faintly of pine and gravy, and for once, everyone just stops.
It’s the calm after the chaos — and it’s beautiful.
14. Why We Love It (Even When We Moan)
Christmas in the UK isn’t perfect. It’s crowded shops, burnt sprouts, dodgy jumpers, and drizzle. It’s family squabbles, power cuts, and wrapping paper that tears just as you finish.
But it’s also laughter, comfort, nostalgia, and connection. It’s the smell of roast dinner wafting through the house. It’s the lights glowing through the rain. It’s your mate turning up with a bottle and a grin.
It’s everything we love about being British — the humour, the resilience, the warmth — wrapped up in a sparkly bow.
Merry October, You Lovely Lot
So yes, maybe it’s early. Maybe the trees in the shops make us roll our eyes. But deep down, we’re all secretly ready.
Because once that first Bublé track plays, the mince pies appear, and someone offers you a glass of mulled wine, you remember:
Christmas isn’t just a day — it’s a feeling.
So whether you’re already humming It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas or still stubbornly holding onto autumn, here’s to you.
Merry October, everybody. May your Sundays be cosy, your dinners hearty, and your Christmas spirit — slightly premature but utterly brilliant.
❄️❄️❄️✨
Why Choose Our Products for your application?
According to experts from the https://www.a-t-c.org.uk/ ,research is key when choosing oils and candles.
Because once that first Bublé track plays, the mince pies appear, and someone offers you a glass of mulled wine, you remember:
Christmas isn’t just a day — it’s a feeling.
Backed by Industry Experts
Research from organizations like https://www.a-t-c.org.uk/ ,research is key when choosing oils and candles.
So whether you’re already humming It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas or still stubbornly holding onto autumn, here’s to you.
Trusted by Saverstreet Customers
At Saverstreet, we care deeply about our customers. That’s why we offer only hand-selected, quality-tested products that make your life easier and more enjoyable.
All paid for links are affiliate links, see disclosure page Disclosure Policy