Editorial: Festive peek reveals how time flies by

You don't need to watch Dr Who to get some sort of feel for the concept of time and where it all goes.

You only have to take a late-October walk through the CBDs of Napier or Hastings, and the towns and villages and hamlets across the whole region for that matter, and look in some storefront windows.

Not many, just a few, but soon that few will become several and then the several will become a multitude.

Oh yes, the event at the centre of these time-bending displays may be a whole two months away but is that a long time in the scheme of things?

During the past week I have come across pretty Christmas trees, Santas, reindeer and little silver angels.

And lots of stars and glittery things and even some dustings of snow, which given the nasty southwesterly flow which rolled through yesterday is probably not completely out of place.

I just hope we don't get another cool snap on the eve of Christmas, which will apparently be upon us in no time at all, as Santa will smoulder upon his descent.

I was glancing at one pretty Christmas display when another chap stopped to take it in. He shook his head and said something like, "I haven't paid off the last one yet" and then wandered off adding, "where did the time go?".

It's all a tad unsettling because he made a very good point.

Last Christmas feels like it was last weekend at times ... especially when you wander through the landscape of shops in late October.

But I can see the commercial sense in it, as it sends a message of "get your Christmas shopping done now - don't leave everything to the last minute".

Which may explain why people go ballistic at the Boxing Day sales ... are they stocking up for next Christmas?

Apart from "where did the time go?" the other well-oiled phrase at this time of the year is "soon be Christmas".

Because what's two months?

It was the first day of spring, September 1, two months ago and I remember it clearly.

Oh, I'm starting to think it should be like Guy Fawke's - don't start promoting it until a few days out.