Alison Curtis: I'm so glad my daughter brings back the magic of the holidays for me

Pic: Marc O'Sullivan

I know it is only mid-November and in every other year of my existence, I would not mention or think of the C-word until December. So much so that when I was younger I would get upset if people started talking about the festive period too early in the year.

The moment Halloween was over and all the sparkly lights, snowmen, and Santa hats popping up everywhere would drive me a bit nuts. I wasn’t alone, you could hear people up and down the country grumbling that “it's too early!” “Did you see this storefront or that TV ad, Jaysus its only November!”

That bah-humbug feeling started to disappear once I became a parent and the holidays took on a whole other meaning. Santa very much came back into our lives. My husband and I would get so giddy thinking about the moment our daughter Joan would come downstairs and see what was in her stocking and under the tree.

The magic of the holidays that wasn’t there so much in our twenties returned with a bang once Joan was born and as a family, we started our own festive traditions. Still, I would resist any C-word talk and wouldn’t shop, talk or decorate for Christmas until after the first week in December.

But this year is different, different from anything any of us have ever experienced on all fronts. I put out a tweet last week declaring that this year I am not going to judge anyone who starts to celebrate Christmas early. It got a huge reaction with many comments stating that trees and lights have been up around many houses since November 1st!

That same night I went for a walk and there were no less than 4 homes looking stunning decked out with lights across the house fronts and trees in their gardens. It looked so pretty and, you know what, it put me in a great mood.

I felt calm, happy and a little bit of relief from thinking about all the things we have all had to be aware of this year. It felt normal. Despite everything that has happened this year, despite the fact that our daily lives have changed so dramatically, Christmas is still going to happen. Families are still going to celebrate this year in some way or another. We don’t yet know what restrictions will be in place or what level we will be living in for Christmas but people are still going to put up trees and eat turkey.

Santa is still going to come and give children their presents,. Many of us are still going to eat a tonne of chocolate and enjoy a tipple or two. We are going to gather around fireplaces and eat mince pies. We are going to gather around the TV and watch Christmas films.

All of these things are still going to happen and if people start doing them earlier this year because it is a way of coping, then so be it. Last weekend on my show, I spoke to a family who has had their tree up since the first weekend in November. The mom said she got up one Saturday morning and just felt so exhausted by this year. She turned to her daughter and said “Let's put up the tree!” and they did and she said they instantly felt better.

After our chat loads of similar messages came in, including from Minister Simon Harris, echoing our sentiments. Let people do whatever makes them feel better this year and whatever makes things seem a little brighter and easier.

That this year none of us should judge when people decide to start celebrating Christmas as it has been such a surreal and stressful time for everyone. In short from this point onwards no judging, just loving!