We Wish You A Commercial Christmas

Every year we predict when the Christmas stock will be available on the shop shelves. Will they wait until after Hallowe'en this year? Will it go in the aisle with the reduced BBQ's and summer stock (after another disastrous summer when no one could use any of it)? This year the shops couldn't wait until after Hallowe'en or even until October. On the 1st of September 2012, my local chain supermarket was selling Christmas Cards. Yes, I will name and shame them, that would be you Morrisons. When I made a joke about the offence, a member of staff assured me that all of the Christmas stock would be out after the weekend. I couldn't quite believe it...

This was, of course, before I moved to Alicante. I didn't see a single Christmas'sy thing here until the middle of November. The local 'Feliz Navidad' lights were put up in the local Spanish town where I live at the beginning of this month. Yes, in December, the month of Christmas. Having festive lights is no rare occurance here, they often have the streets decorated for all sorts of holidays and fiestas. However, the Spanish would possibly collapse at the thought of putting them up 3 and a half months before the event.

Christmas adverts are shown in the UK very early too, while we do all love getting in the seasonal mood with the Coca-Cola advert, we don't need to see it in months of anticipation. I've also heard people complaining about radio stations playing Christmas songs too early, which can also be frustrating. The radio stations here in Spain tend not to play Christmas songs, as it's not in their culture. For that reason, I must confess I have been listening to Radio 1 online for some festive tunes, you can't beat a bit of Wham! and Mariah Carey. While, of course, I have also been playing my Michael Bublé Christmas album on a loop (which I may have stolen from my mum).

I asked one of my Spanish friends if we could go shopping for Christmas presents for our parents at some point last week as it was getting a bit close to the date. He said not to worry and that we would go at the weekend or on Monday (Christmas Eve!) One thing I have noticed about the Spanish is that they don't prepare for anything too far in advance, even making plans. I did go shopping this weekend and it was lovely to see all of the lights and decorations, I got a real sense of celebration and cheer without it being thrown in my face.

Maybe somebody, somewhere, got confused along the line, perhaps we're all trying to be ready in time for Thanksgiving - a holiday which fortunately the British don't seem to have jumped all over yet, let's not hold our breath though. The 25th of December seems to be a mythical day away for those out late night shopping every week from the beginning of October. Why do people feel so smug because they have wrapped all of their gifts before November?

The saddest thing is people forgetting the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Leave rushing around for a moment and have a think about why you're doing it. Are you just another commercial target falling right into the trap? Why don't we just take time to breathe and celebrate and enjoy Christmas for what it actually is? There is no need for everyone to work up until Christmas Eve so that when Christmas Day actually comes, they are all miserable and sleep-deprived, wishing the day to be over and dreading work the next.

As I write this now there are articles in the papers about Amazon's sale starting on Christmas Day. Must anyone stoop to that level? I don't think it's right to blame Amazon, after all, they don't even need to have any staff working. We need to take a look at the sort of people we've become, if we can't even go one day without the sense that we are missing a bargain. Be more than another Christmas statistic, love and cherish your family, the shops will still be there tomorrow.
                                                                                                                                                      

I would also like to take this moment to wish all of my blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  I hope you all keep reading throughout 2013 while enjoying everything that comes your way. This blog has now reached over 5,000 views and my only wish is that it continues to grow throughout next year. (It will be a sad day when I have to let my Christmas theme and falling snow go!)

Lots of love,
Lauren Marion
x

  

Va Va Voom - Lovin' The Vintage Vibe

"Ooh I adore that vintage style dress!" I say while flicking through a magazine, my mum rolls her eyes. Of course vintage style clothes are never quite as cool as the real thing. You also miss the fun of rummaging through to see what wicked bargains you can find. Awkwardly, everything I ever pick out my mother seems to have owned twenty years ago. As for the word "vintage", it was simply "second-hand" to them back in the day.

It's hard not to notice trends repeating themselves over and over these days. Leggings were supposedly a thing of the 90's, yet you can't go anywhere without seeing somewhere wearing a pair. I guess 2012 saw the return of high-waisted denim and tucked-in shirts. My friends and I adore high-waisted shorts, they are the "it" item of clothing, anyone who is anyone owns a pair, while frayed edges ticks another style box. 

I love to grab my latest new find from the likes of Republic and H&M, team with my favourite pair of denim shorts and then dig around in my mum's wardrobe to steal an old beaten up denim jacket (which was probably pre-owned before she bought it). DIY Vintage can be fabulous too, I made my own 80's style gilet by cutting off the sleeves of my boring, and frankly plain, denim jacket and sticking on a retro pin. I also cut up old jeans, tie-dyed them and frayed the edges. Perfect if you don't want to let go of an item just yet and in these times of "recession", even though I like to convince myself you cannot punish fashion for the governments' mistakes, it's a little lighter on the purse too.

So why has cast off clothing become such a stylish must-have for young fashionistas? I personally love the concept of recycling fashion, the thought of my clothes coming with a story is really cool. The happy memories someone shared with their shirt, all of the places it's been and what the previous owners were really like are now passed on to me, so I can continue the story. Maybe to some, Vintage is overrated but I suppose not everyone can see the beauty in something that's not shiny and new.

People spend hundreds of pounds on items of clothing from different eras as originally vintage was about buying one-off pieces of retro couture. However, it has now evolved into accessible fashion for young people wanting to stand out and wear something a little bit more original. Perhaps we have Primark to thank for that, I have often stood in their store considering purchasing one of their garments but worried that every girl in my school would own it.

It's not just clothes either, shoes and hairstyles have all come back in too. Converse have become a timeless iconic item for all generations and the length of your hair will never be seen as "so last year". Retro everything is huge just now; cars, clocks, telephones and even packaging on food and drink. The Jean Paul Gautier Coca-Cola bottles are very similar to the original Coca-Cola design. Old-fashioned cameras are a must have too, there's something precious about their design and how the photos come out. This is why the Apple and Android app Instagram is so popular, it makes your average picture look like an old polaroid image (my snapshots are displayed in the sidebar of my blog).

Lana Del Rey and Paloma Faith are the picture of old-style glamour, their latest albums proving that nostalgic music is everlasting too. Their hair and wardrobe choices also reflecting those of sultry singers in the late 20th century. These ladies may seem like they're from a different era but they represent 2012 far better than teeny-bop boybands and auto-tune. Vintage music comes with a certain amount of respect and flare, and I know which feels more authentic to me.

High Street shops are all scouring their back-catalogues to find pieces for their new collections, trying to recreate real vintage. Although others may argue fashion is supposed to be about creating new ideas and showcasing something that's never been seen before, I'll never tire of stealing my mum's old clothes.

Could you live without your iPod?

It's hard to imagine that about ten years ago none of it really existed. Having a personal laptop and mobile phone with unlimited internet access wasn't actually a key part of being a teenager. The lack of Wi-Fi access was hardly a priority for everyday living. Technology has advanced so rapidly since I was born, it's impossible for me to know what it must have been like for my parents growing up.

Originally in 2001 the iPod was created as a device to listen to music, I'm told to replace the rather popular Sony walkman, and that was all. Yet the latest generation of iPods, which are now touch screen, connect to Wi-Fi and have a huge range of apps from social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to Pedometers, Magazines and instant translators. You can FaceTime anyone with an Apple device anywhere in the world, making miles between loved ones completely immaterial. Costing around £170 from Apple, it may be a little more expensive than previous personal music devices but it is more of a personal hand held computer.

For my 14th birthday this year, I was given my very own 8GB iPod touch. I had wanted one for ages and now, 6 months later, I can't remember what I did without it. I can barely leave the house without it in my handbag or slipped into the pocket of my jeans. The wide range of accessories solely available for the iPod shows just how popular they are. Most of my Scottish friends have one, if not an iPhone or often both.

We're all so impatient and the notion of waiting just isn't an option nowadays. Tram stations in cities actually have free Wi-fi, to make your ten minute wait a little less of a chore. It's quite rare to find a bar or restaurant without a free Wi-Fi connection and most shopping centres have it too. A quick flick through the latest magazine that's just been sent to your iPod or checking out your favourite artists' brand new music video makes time pass a little faster for our overstimulated generation.

At home my iPod is always near me, whether I'm listening to music via my docking station or using it to chat to friends, it always prevents any form of boredom. Is this because I don't know how to entertain myself without it? From my point of view: No. I think I could easily live without it, but I'm hoping that's not something I'll ever have to experience.