By now you’ve had well over a week to watch the John Lewis Christmas Advert of 2012 making it official: the countdown to Christmas has begun. As someone who got excited for the holiday season on 1st September, the thought occurred as to when and in what way are we supposed to look forward to Christmas now that we’re students? It’s been a while since we believed in Santa (that’s not a spoiler; Freshers away from home for the first time, you need to know). But we’re not parents pandering to the vapid commercialism of high street stores raking in the revenue before the snow falls just yet either. What we want is the magic of Christmas. But that only seems to come with Christmas tree shopping, wrapping presents and watching Love Actually in a house as stuffed with the smells of cinnamon as the turkey that’s roasting in the oven is with trimmings. And heating. Her Campus is here to help you get the Countdown to Christmas clock ticking louder than the looming deadlines with everything you need to know on how to get excited the student way.
- John Lewis
So strongly does John Lewis capture the sentiment of Christmas that the family-favourite department store has an entire section dedicated to the Festive Season. Firstly, the fact that the John Lewis Christmas Advert has now been released signifies it’s not too early to get in the festive mood. While it may not have had you tearing up in quite the same way that their 2011 sensation did, a snowman searching high and low for love to the sound of Gabrielle Aplin’s dulcet tones was a pretty good way to kick off the countdown. Ending on the message to “Give a little more love this Christmas” (in contrast to their Debenhams’ competitor “Come and buy more cr*p you don’t need”*), appreciation for being the least-advertising-Christmas-advert out there should come in the form of shopping at John Lewis this Christmas. At the absolute most, you’re living a mile’s walk away from their most brand-spanking-new store and if you don’t get excited for Christmas just by standing in that shop then Jesus himself would be disappointed in you.
- Love Actually
This one is hard. A film that has come to epitomize the holiday season so acutely, the importance in timing its viewing to seasonal perfection is something we all know but find equally tricky to judge. You get one watch every 365 days and you don’t want to mess it up. Do not make the mistake of watching it on your drunken return from Mosaic one Monday because you forgot to download Made In Chelsea. It’s just not on. Regret wont’t begin to cover the emotions you’ll feel in the morning. My advice is to distract yourself with festive film alternatives while organising a Love Actually viewing event to ensure your house are all in for an entire evening to watch it before term ends. Or just avoid all showings on Sky and TV’s in shop windows until you get home. The same applies for It’s A Wonderful Life, Home Alone 2 and Miracle on 34th Street but to keep building the festive feeling you’re encouraged to watch White Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf and Bad Santa before term ends. The emotions attached to viewing those are less intense.
- Christmas Jumpers
It is most definitely time to buy a jumper with a Christmas pattern on it; if you don’t buy it within the next week, your window of cost-to-wear ratio will have closed making it cost inefficient. When it comes to Christmas jumpers, the more ridiculous the more wonderful: think reindeers, snowflakes, elves and Christmas trees on the same item and go for one in red, navy, cream or green. Buy it now. Live in it until December 25th. Then potentially burn it. It’ll have been worth it. Topshop are offering polar bears, robins and candy canes but in the HCX spirit of helping you scrimp and save, River Island’s Blue Snowmen or Red Fairisle Jumper are two cheaper options.
- Secret Santa
I may have been mildly excited about Christmas since 1st September, but I draw the line a long way before the point Selfridges did when they opened their Christmas decorations aisle in August. Don’t fall for high street bargains selling anything and everything short of the CEO’s grandmother; spend a bit more time finding the gifts your friends and family will love. On this note however, we are still students. So get a group of girlfriends together, put your names in a hat and have each person go forth and shop with a £10 limit to buy the name they picked out something nice, rather than buying 15 friends a few things from Poundland. Also call your Mum for a step by step account of how to cook a Christmas dinner the student way for the exchange of these Secret Santa gifts. A Tesco turkey, Sainsbury’s stuffing and sprouts, and for a touch of home, treat yourself to some Waitrose wine. I imagine it’s a bit more complicated than putting it all in the oven and going to your lectures for the day but it can’t be impossible if women the world over do it every year**. Society Christmas dinners are a great way to end term but you need to have one with your girlfriends too. Fill the house with Christmas smells and heat!
- Decorations
Sadly you can’t dedicate a day like you do at home to go and select the perfect evergreen conifer Scots Pine tree: a tree too short would be a disaster but it can’t be too tall for the ceiling, and how far out do the branches come? Will people be able to walk around the tree? The needles need to release an ample aroma to fill the house, and they can’t dry out before the 25th; does the tree bark look healthy enough to last until at least the 1st January? And is each branch evenly spaced to allow decorations to complement rather than stifle each other? You get the picture: proper tree selection takes time that with deadlines looming and social lives to live, we don’t have to dedicate in term time. Postpone pine selection until you’re home and settle for draping tinsel, fairy lights and Christmas scented candles around your home in Exeter so the atmospheric build up is nevertheless underway.
It’s tricky to time the Countdown to Christmas to perfection but last week the John Lewis advert warned us that any minute now just walking down the street, the Festive feeling will hit you. When you get home it’ll be time to sync your Christmas songs to your iPod and make the ‘Last Played’ tab revel in jumping all the way from 2011 to 2012 with Nat King Cole serenading you with images of chestnuts roasting by an open fire. You might not be able to get your hands on the chestnuts… or the open fire, but you can and should be starting the Christmas Countdown now.
*Not a direct quotation from the Debenhams’ Christmas Ad Campaign
**Some men too, I’m sure
Photo Credits: dailymail.com