Seven Signs… You’re Obsessed With Christmas

For a lot of people Christmas is simply the time of year when you head home to Mammy, tuck into a tin of Roses and spend some quality time with the family. Sure, these people look forward to Christmas dinner, opening presents around the tree and having a few reunions in the local with their friends, but as far as we’re concerned, they’re missing out on a lot. A WHOLE LOT of Christmassy stuff. If you haven’t guessed it already, we are bonafide Christmas fanatics here at Her, and we‘re pretty sure we’re not the only ones out there. So throw on a bit of Mariah and take a look at our seven signs that you’re obsessed with the festive season… Once Hallowee’en is over, it’s go time You've hardly finished cleaning up after the monkey nuts and brack before you start blasting the Christmas tunes around the house. You start wishing for snow on the 1 November, and you’ve got a countdown on your phone to the day you can get your hands on that first festive drink from your favourite coffee shop. The Christmas baking also starts early, and your Gingerbread house is an impressive (and delicious) feat of engineering. November is also the month you start snacking on selection boxes and mince pies. You've got a lot to do so you just can’t start these things early enough. You 'make an evening of it' when the Christmas lights are switched on in your local town And drag anyone you can find to go with you. The same goes for when the window displays are unveiled in the big shops, and if you’re a true fanatic you’ve probably travelled to other cities, or in some cases countries, to marvel first-hand at a whole new sea of sparkling lights and snazzy shopfronts. #normalbehaviour Your Christmas telly schedule is not to be messed with The RTE Christmas Guide is your bible for December and you plan your social events around your favourite holiday flicks. Love Actually, Elf, The Holiday, It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone 1 and 2 (nobody likes the third one) and a whole load more cannot be missed. You never forget to watch the Christmas episode of Father Ted (the one where they get lost in "Ireland’s largest lingerie department"), and watching Santy taking off from Lapland at the end of the news on Christmas Eve is a must-see. It goes without saying that The Toy Show is your favourite TV night of the year, and it's recorded and re-watched at least one more time. Your Christmas jumper collection is a site to behold… And your ornament collection isn’t far behind. There isn’t a room in your house left untouched by decorations and the garden resembles Santa’s grotto. You’ve also got a few vintage copies of your Christmas annuals lying around to bring out for special occasions. We know you remember those... You’ve got your Christmas playlist on standby all year round And if you’re ever having a bad day, you have a sneaky little listen (no matter what time of the year it is) to perk yourself right back on up. In December Christmas FM wakes you up in the morning and your favourite Christmas choons put you to sleep. The local carol service is marked on your advent calendar, and when you do go along you belt out every single hymn. You don't even care who hears it. You’re the first one up on Christmas morning… Even though your days of getting a visit from Santy are well past you. That also doesn’t stop you leaving out a carrot for Rudolph and a glass of whiskey for the man himself. You also insist on everyone in the house having a stocking and an official present-opening session in your special festive PJs on Christmas morning. (You Can’t) Let It Go Is there anything to be said for having another Christmas dinner on 6 January? Ah hello, it’s Nollaig na mBan (Women’s Little Christmas)? Even though deep in your heart you know that it’s only a matter of time before that tin of Roses is converted into a sewing kit and your Mammy stops using the Christmas placemates, you struggle to move on. Taking down the decorations is the absolute worst day of the year, never mind when it’s time to get back to the real world. But don't fear, there's always next year when you can do the whole thing all over again!