AS we all know, Christmas starts the moment Halloween is over. Skeletons are ripped mercilessly from windows and banished to their boxes for another year; pumpkins’ grinning faces no longer flank every doorstep. Instead, shop windows are filled with sparkling festive decorations.

As the day we’re all waiting for draws closer, shops grow ever fuller of seasonal merchandise that simply begs to be bought.

Is that present I bought definitely something they’ll like?

What could I get for them instead?

New songs are brought out to join the current Christmas anthems and be played everywhere you go; additionally, who can resist a visit to the theatre to see this year’s Christmas pantomime?

Shows aren’t the only temptation either – Christmas is the annual excuse to eat double your own mass in festive delicacies. So shops can’t be blamed for taking advantage of the season as soon as possible and readying themselves for the onslaught of shoppers.

Despite this, we all know Christmas doesn’t get away without competition.

We all enjoy the inevitable battles for the most impressive window display or Christmas lights, but they certainly aren’t the only examples. Christmas is a time for the worst jokes to step into the ring and go head to head under the proud gaze of their owners; a time when the size of your roast dinner has never mattered more. The traditional game of charades becomes a centre of contention and its winner gains everyone’s respect. At least until Boxing Day…

Christmas is filled with equal measures of stress and excitement for most people. However, it’s still viewed by a lot of people as a magical time of the year that is being anticipated with delight. A chance for many to be with those they love and reap the rewards of weeks of hectic Christmas shopping.