Winter is on its way if we are to believe the newspapers, sub-zero temperatures and freezing winds. Christmas is around the corner, I am reminded by the very irritating sign outside a restaurant at the end of our road which reads “Have you thought about Christmas?” and the answer is NO I have not and more to the point not do I want to! This morning I heard on Pause for Thought a chaplain saying that he was welcoming Father Christmas to a well known store in London on Thursday, and then driving in a sleigh drawn by reindeer to the Kings Road to turn on the Xmas lights and then he actually said that he knew this is early but it is being done to encourage people to spend money and he feels that he has a role to play helping the retail!! I personally do not think he needs to help the retail, the constant advertising does that admirably, I think there are better ways he can serve his community. I think I am turning into Scrooge because there must be another way to save the economy rather than just to encourage people to spend money they don’t have on presents their family and friends probably don’t need. My grandmother did not believe in credit and always used to say “don’t spend what you don’t have”. I think if we had had a few chancellors in the past adopting this attitude we might not be in this position, held to ransom by Greece with the media and politicians telling us that we are facing a desperate situation. I am happy to spend money if the product is worth the price. I bought some jeans yesterday from New Lookfor £19.99 that are much nicer than the designer ones I used to buy for £100+ from the local boutique, admittedly I had to scrabble around to find my size and I was not assisted by a charming lady, however for an £80 saving I can forego that luxury.
I was also in Marks and Spencerin Westifield, taking a housebound friend to the Apple Store, and we found Ugg look-a-like boots(the website does not offer nearly as many styles and colours as the Westfield shop so worth a visit)for between £15 – £39 and then in the Ugg store around the corner they were selling the real thing for £200+. This is what I mean we are all changing our attitudes and the retailers giving us value for money are the ones who deserve to survive.
On Tuesday a girlfriend and I are going to Hotel du Vin for lunch on a 2 for 1 scheme as she is a member of the Gourmet Societywhich she joined for free on a Guardian newspaper offer some weeks ago but even at the regular subscription of £44.95 for a year’s membership, if you are a lover of dining out then you will make that fee back very quickly.
So hopefully I am morphing into my grandmother and not Scrooge and by the time I get to December I will be looking forward to the festive season as much as I always do.