...and judging by the TV footage, half the crowd just watch it through their phone/camera screens anyway. Why do people bother?!
In recent years I don’t really get why people bother with Christmas full-stop. First of all two or more months of the same TV adverts excruciatingly repeated every minute (yes Morrison’s and Amazon I’m referring to you). Then followed by the recent craze of silly names for days, “Black Friday”, “Super Saturday”, “Manic Monday”, “Titanic Tuesday”, “Frantic Friday”, which contributes exactly what to anything? Meanwhile neighbours all trying to outdo each other with who has the most garish set of outdoor lights and over-decorated tree prominently displayed in the front window.
As the retail frenzy comes to an end, we then have the “Christmas getaway”, cue chaos on every form of transport - thankfully this year doesn’t seem to have been *too* bad in that respect but for the Gatwick fiasco. Then heaven help anyone who just wants to do their regular food shopping in the few days before Christmas.
Once Christmas itself arrives we then get the annual moans about no transport on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, accompanied by rants about places being closed - the “*I* don’t want to work Christmas but I expect everyone else to work so I can have access to all the services I desire” brigade. Meanwhile further chaos around shopping complexes on Boxing Day, the annual Bicester Village gridlock, and scenes of people bursting into a store to fight over a pair of shoes or a handbag. Meanwhile others now have several more days of either being bored or fed up with the relatives that they’ve had to pretend to like but secretly detest, or taking back a pile of unwanted gifts.
Then the great New Year’s Eve disgrace when it’s seemingly okay to go round trashing other people’s property, which now seems to continue into New Year’s Day too. Cue more boredom for any remaining bank holidays.
Now comes the final phase, the morose faces on the first working day back in January, wishing one had a pound for every time one cringingly hears “did you have a good Christmas?”, and the final icing on the cake - the credit card statement when it comes a few weeks down the line.
Please everyone spare a thought for those who don’t buy into this stupidity for whatever reason, or those who just want to have a quiet couple of days with the family, or those who are working most of it and just want to get on with normal life without disruption!
Bah humbug...
(I’m being a little cynical with the above, perhaps it’s those rose-tinted spectacles going on but I don’t remember it always being thus).