Back to School and Valentine's Day - seriously!

Back to School and Valentine's Day - seriously!
30 December 2012

Curse you evil shops!  Curse you!!!  If I had not witnessed it with my very own eyes, I would never have believed it possible.

The dust has barely settled from Christmas, yet the shops are already adorned with “Back to School!” goodies.  In fact, they’re not adorned with it, rather they’re screaming it.  I haven’t even recovered from Christmas yet.  And nor has my pocket.  It’s still December for heaven’s sakes!  Have a heart!

Nothing screams “end-of-holidays-approaching-and-back-to-boring-routine-and-everyday-school-ness-approaching” than those blasted billboards and posters advertising stationary and Bata Toughees school shoes.  White bobby socks, school bags, pencil cases, long grey slacks and white buttoned school shirts.  It assails you everywhere you go and escape is near impossible.  They sure know how to suck the joy out of the remaining three weeks of holidays don’t they.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the school goodies, when I saw something that defied even more belief.  A whole stand dedicated to Valentine’s Day – cards, teddies, fake roses, the whole toot.  You know Valentine’s Day.  The commercial day of love for lovers and romantic couples all over the world.  A day celebrated IN FEBRUARY!!!  The middle of February to be exact.  How peculiar!

But then again, I thought to myself – stop your whinging!  Don’t the shops all start with their Christmas paraphernalia, advertising, bombardment of the auditory senses with Boney M songs and décor from September already?  So what!  Rejoice in it.  Embrace it.  And if back to school is not your bag, then simply just ignore it.  I surely will.

Because if you don’t like your reality – just ignore it and make a new one.  Personally I’m really starting to look forward to all the Easter goodies which should start hitting the shops soon.  Probably by about the first or second week in January in fact.  And then in the blink of an eye, it will be time to deck the halls for Christmas once more.

Which brings me to another thought.  Exactly what is the connection between the Easter Bunny and chocolate shaped eggs?  Bunnies don’t lay eggs after all and nor do they eat them.  Somehow I just can’t seem to find a link between the two.  Maybe it’s just me.  Either way, I’m looking forward to the chocolate already.

Which means that very shortly I’ll be donning my Easter Bunny hat for my kids once more.  Making flour footprints all over the house and our garden.  Leaving footstep trails to the location of eggs – much to my children’s delight.  Yip, really looking forward to Easter already.