Who stole November?

A couple of days ago, or so it seems, I was just thinking about how I could get all my Christmas shopping done nice and early, it was nearly Bonfire night and remembrance Sunday was just around the corner..... Then I woke up this morning and it's already 1st December, and if I'm honest, I've done nothing towards Christmas.  I'd really quite like to know where November went, who stole it?

Part of the problem is that the weather over here just doesn't help me feel Christmassy, although today, if I'm honest, isn't particularly warm or sunny, and there was a day last week that was so cold that I could have felt very festive, but as a rule the weather over here at this time of year just isn't Christmas.

Last Christmas was hot, far far too hot, and I'm really hoping that this year won't be.  It doesn't have to be cold, I'm not going to be mean and wish that on the people of New Zealand (although, if it were down to me, Christmas = winter) but at least cool enough that I still feel like eating far too much and doing very little else.

There's a reason that a lot of the traditional Christmas food is warm, filling and stodgy, and also, for the same reason, it doesn't really work over here.  There is another disadvantage with a warm Christmas, you haven't then got six months or so to work off your over indulging before having to venture out in summer clothes that show the weight you've gained more clearly.

Right now though, that doesn't really matter, I've just got to get on and get ready for Christmas, because if December moves at the same rate that November did, before I know it I will have still done no Christmas shopping and it will already be 2014.