10 November 2012

And curse Sir Walter Raleigh, He was such a stupid git.

bit tired. busy day.

So I give you, Oxford Street's Christmas lights for 2012:



Yup, Marmite. That is indeed an Elf vomiting in a hat...

Other than that bright spot, I'm already sick of Christmas adverts, music and all that. It's November!!

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

I drove past the first set of Christmas lights in someone's garden this very evening, I share your pain!

Lancs. Anon

John H. D. Watson said...

If they're not selling that image on Christmas cards, they really should be.

Sherlock's already asked me five times when we can go and cut down a tree...

Greg Lestrade said...

I know. I've told him at least 5 times that we're not doing anything until very near to Christmas. He's very grumpy about that. He says all the good trees IN THE WORLD will be gone by then.

John H. D. Watson said...

Yeah. He was online for half an hour today looking up pine tree growth rates in an effort to prove that they couldn't possibly grow enough trees for everyone to have one every year and that therefore we had to get ours NOW.

Greg Lestrade said...

He'll probably sneak out in the dead of night, cut one down and drag it home with him...

John H. D. Watson said...

I would honestly not be surprised.

pandabob said...

My mother in law bought the kids a model santa to sit on the fireplace today, I'm beginning to wonder if I slept through a whole month ;-)

Kholly said...

Sherlock reminds me of my Dad. He took a road trip up to the Christmas tree farm 2 weeks ago just to be sure there were going to be enough trees when we come back in December. Even he knows there is no point cutting one down now though. All the needles would fall off before Christmas ever got here. And he did report back that there were plenty of trees and all would be fine.

Greg Lestrade said...

I dunno what we're going to do with him.

I suppose we could get a live one, and try to treat it really well... but absoultely no decorations on it until nearly Christmas.

John H. D. Watson said...

In the flat? Wouldn't it just die anyway from the temperature change? Better wait, I think. Or send him to Kholly's dad until Christmas...

Greg Lestrade said...

I don't know... yeah, probably.

I'd rather we just waited, anyway.

Or...Kholly? :)

REReader said...

I don't have any personal knowledge of Christmas trees, but I know there are some tree farms in the US that will let you earmark a tree for yourself ahead of time, I'm not sure whether for later cutting or later delivery. Is there anything like that near you?

Greg Lestrade said...

No idea.

Is nearly time for the Met's 'pick-your-own-shift-pattern again though'...

Danger, let me know any particularly horrible shifts you want me to avoid.

John H. D. Watson said...

It'd be nice if you were off for Christmas obviously, but apart from that...up to you?

Are we having 12 million people to dinner again?

zeph said...

I never buy a christmas tree because I spend the holidays with my family at my parents place. It just isn't worth getting a tree for myself. But since I love ornaments and fairy lights I always end up decorating my potted plants with them. So my ficus tree serves as my christmas tree during december.
(I do love christmas trees though, especially the smell. I always get ridiculously excited when my Dad puts the tree up in the living room)

Greg Lestrade said...

At least 12 million, yes.

I don't know - you inviting anyone? I'll check who's doing which shifts first, before I invite the 12 million and then find out cooking is down to Mycroft, Mrs H and you and Sherlock as Sous chefs.

Anonymous said...

One of the only good things about all the election commercials was that they delayed the Christmas commercials for a week past Halloween. At least for me, since I don't watch TV much.
But gosh, I wish our Christmas lights had yarking elves. That would spice things up!

I grew up with a tradition that we put up the tree and decorated it on Christmas eve, and then kept it through Epiphany. It always makes me wonder when I see trees up before the end of November. I can't even imagine how many needles they'd lose before Christmas!

What species of trees do they use in the UK, anyway? And which do you prefer? Spruce? Pine? Fir? A question for later in the month, if you run out of ideas.

rsf

John H. D. Watson said...

L - probably just Harry. Well, and Anthea and Mrs Holmes obviously...the usual suspects.

Greg Lestrade said...

RSF - depends how much you want to spend. There's different types.

Danger - yeah, don't think there's anyone I can think of.

I might try and get to see Mum before Christmas. Maybe.

pandabob said...

is Rach all excited for Jess's first xmas?

We're having beans on toast for christmas dinner, not much point doing all the trimmings for one and two halves, you can't get turkeys small enough either ;-)

Greg Lestrade said...

I imagine she is, yeah. I've not spoken to her much.

Don't blame you for doing beans on toast! I used to get take-away, after work, for my Christmas dinner. Like you say - no point doing it unless there are plenty of people to appreciate the effort :)

pandabob said...

it gives much more time for playing with toys as well, not that I'm really a kid in adult clothing or anything ;-)

Anonymous said...

Anonybob, a friend of mine got me hooked on preparing Cornish game hens for my holidays (I don't know what they're called in the UK. Think really really little chickens, 1 or 2 pounds.) They're a good excuse for a little stuffing and gravy and a baked potato, but not so much food that I have leftovers for more than a day or so.

Just in case beans on toast is losing its appeal...

rsf

REReader said...

Oh, Cornish game hens are GOOD!

REReader said...

No idea.

If there is, it would be a way of having a tree without having a tree yet is all.


Thanks to the election and Sandy, we haven't yet had much in the way of Christmas advertising or music yet...but the decorations are already up over my neighborhood's main shopping streets. When are they gong to put up some Chanukah decorations, that's what I'd like to know? Chanukah is in less than a month, after all!

Anonymous said...

The rule on treecutting in my family is that you go the day after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday of November), since that's a pretty big holiday, and you don't want Christmas to overshadow it. Or, at least, that's my reasoning.

Oregon Anon

REReader said...

And miss the Black Friday sakes!?!?!?

(Wise choice. :))

REReader said...

(SaLes, not sakes)

Greg Lestrade said...

They're certainly not common, RR, although I daresay they exist.

No idea what we'd call a Cornish Game Hen either - Wiki tells me it's a chicken, not a game bird? Maybe poussin?

Oregon ANon - if only we had a pre-set day we could use every year! As it is, Sherlock just has to put up with our whims :)

Sherlock said...

I was quiet for TWO WHOLE MINUTES which is ages because we were thinking about the soldiers who died in the wars and how glad we are that they were soldiers so we've got everything we've got now.

REReader said...

You're right, Sherlock--two minutes is a lot longer than it sounds. And that is a wonderful reason. (We don't have that custom here, instead we have sales. Silence is much nicer.)

Anon Without A Name said...

Sherlock, my husband and I watched the ceremony st the Cenotaph on tv this morning, and we were quiet too - it's important, I think, not just being quiet, but lots of people being quiet at the same time, and thinking about all the people who died over the years to keep us all safe.

Did you have poppies in school? I've been wearing one this week (I have one on my coat at the moment), it's another way to show that I'm grateful to everyone who has served - or is serving - this country.

Anonymous said...

Isaw a man with a poppy here on Thursday. I didn't know people wore them more than just one day.

rsf

Greg Lestrade said...

...Sherlock just attempted to stab me with an ice-weapon....

So he'll be banned from the internet for a bit.

(it didn't work very well)

REReader said...

Not a very safe sort of experiment--and also unnecessary, as MythBusters covered death-by-icicle and death by ice bullet in 2004 (icicles in the viewed' choice episode and ice bullets in the myths revisited episode).

It's always best to do the research and save yourself the trouble of reinventing the wheel!

You okay, L?

John H. D. Watson said...

He's all right. I don't know how it went for Mythbusters, but Sherlock would've done well to remember that ice is slippery.

REReader said...

Oh, good. :)

The ice bullet vaporized before doing any damage, and they dropped a heavy icicle instead of stabbing--that worked. .Interestingly, they manage to test all sorts of death-dealing methods without ever attacking people--much more cleverness needed to do it that way, I'd think...

Greg Lestrade said...

It mainly just slipped through his hand, then broke.

He said I'd said it wouldn't work so he was pretty sure it wouldn't and it was only my ARM not an important part.

John H. D. Watson said...

He has since been told that all L's parts - and everyone else's - are important.

Anonymous said...

Yes, and conducting an experiment on a person without having that person's permission first is unethical. A concept I'll only introduce now because I'm sure he won't read it and start hunting for fodder for arguments before you've explained that adults telling children the rules is well within the bounds of ethics. ;)

rsf

Piplover said...

I'm so sorry I mentioned that, L! I hope he didn't hurt you or himself.

Greg Lestrade said...

Some parts more....vulnerable than others though!

I'm fine, he's grumpy. Not sure if it's being in trouble or not having stabbed me that's upsetting! ;)

Anonymous said...

I've never thought the "stab with an icicle" murder plausible myself. Although when I was a kid I read a story about a murderer sending the corpse down a snow covered hill with an improvised toboggan made of a frozen bedsheet to hide the murder, and I've often wondered if that would work.

rsf

REReader said...

He does seem to have some trouble processing the connection between, say, a chance to practice stitches on someone, or getting the answer to a question, which is interesting and therefore good, and the fact that same someone gets hurt, which is deeply upsetting and not in any way good. I think you've probably made some major strides today in connecting those dots today. :)

(Do you want more thoughts on perfect crimes, or should I let that go for now?)

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