This year’s countdown to Christmas seemed like an eternity as it started unofficially late September when a local pub, The Fleming Arms, beat its rivals to promoting its Christmas dinner. Whenever I drove by and stopped for a red traffic light, I could see those competitive figures on the board, braving the wind outside the pub. Eventually in the lead-up to the biggest UK festival, kids are gorging themselves on the last few chocolates in Advent calendars and the shopping mal