The Campbell Academy Blog

In anticipation

Tonight's the night, isn't it?

For some people, this is the biggest night of the year, certainly for some of the businesses supplying us around the Christmas myth.

We've slowly, and then we're quickly being pumped with all the advertising it's possible to give us to tell us this is the most special time of the year and if we haven't got it right, we're in big trouble.

So, we better just spend money in a panic to get something for someone, buy things for people, or make sure there is more food than we can possibly consume, which leads us to this point on Christmas Eve, which is the anticipation of Christmas Day.

From a long time ago, when I was little, I understood that Christmas Eve was always better than Christmas Day. The anticipation, expectation, and excitement of looking forward to that day were always better than the day itself.

I always felt it was an anti-climax on Christmas Day.

When I was little, it was never quite what I expected. It always felt much more exciting the night before.

As I got older, I loved going out with friends and people I was close to on Christmas Eve, going for a drink, and walking home in the dark. That was always my best memories of that time.

When my children were little, it was the relaxation of getting them to sleep so that I could sit down for a little while before the madness of the following day (which was always crackers when the kids were little), but now things have switched and changed around.

I'll be nice and relaxed on Christmas Eve.

We'll probably go to the pub because even though Callum is 16 but much taller than me, I can get him into the pub, and we can all go for a drink just around the corner.

I'll ride my bike on Christmas morning, and we'll have a lovely, quiet and relaxed Christmas Day.

And so, now that I've got something to anticipate a day, I will really enjoy it. Christmas Eve seems less significant.

I think the temperature has dialled down entirely on Christmas, but it seems to have dialled down for many other people I speak to.

I don't know if I'll even get a single present on Christmas Day, and to be honest; I really couldn't give a sh*t about any of that; I'm just happy that we are all together, happy that we're okay and happy that we get a bit of time to spend together and everybody else also is happy that they're spending time together.

As with everything else in life, the anticipation almost consistently outperforms the actual action itself.