THERE are benefits to being a little bit older (not many I admit, but there are one or two).

Being of a certain age I no longer have school-age children at home. This means I don’t have to take off school holidays – hence one of the advantages of being a little bit older.

Everything is that little bit cheaper either side of the six or seven weeks of the peak season.

Of course, a side effect of this is my sojourn on the costas could be any time from June to September.

And this year was no exception, a break in Andalusia last week. And believe me when I tell you the southern Spanish weather was very definitely summer – blue skies, warm seas and beaches without crowds.

So I was very much in summer holiday mood on the Friday evening before we were due to jet out to Alicante on the Saturday morning.

Being the disorganised person I am, I had last minute shopping and nipped to Marks and Spencer.

And it was at this point all my summer reveries evaporated.There by the main entrance was a display of...you guessed it...Christmas cards and wrapping paper.

Christmas?

In early September?

I know a lot of retailers – M&S included – rely on having a good Christmas but starting the festive season a couple of days after the schools reopen (and while I’m still thinking of sun loungers, tapas and San Miguel) seems to be pushing it a bit.

A couple of years ago I was invited to the John Lewis pre-Christmas launch at the Trafford Centre. The purpose was to give a sneak peek to a selected audience about what the retailer expected to be big sellers and to a give an exclusive look at that year’s television advert.

I poked some gentle fun at the good people from John Lewis for talking about Christmas in early October but in comparison to Marks and Spencer, it now looks like they were late to the party.

Talking about parties and Christmas, I’ve had emails from two different restaurants telling me I need to think about booking my Christmas meal if I don’t want to miss out.

In a way I hanker for the days of my childhood when there was a different rhythm and pace to the back end of the year with several significant dates in place. It was only after they had all passed that Christmas was thought of.

First off Halloween. Not the massive commercial event we seem to have imported from America, but a gentler and simpler event.

Then we rolled onto Bonfire Night. Back in the day before health and safety was invented, this would involve several weeks of collecting wood for our home-built bonfires.

Given that my birthday is at the end of November, I had that personal landmark to look forward to.

It was only after that point was passed would the first inklings of Christmas start to appear.

Happy (and less commercial) days. There was no Black Friday in 1968.

I have to concede the Americans have got one thing right.

Thanksgiving is a massive event in the US and takes place on the last Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving Day traditionally kicks off the ‘holiday season’.

While Britons think of it as a warm-up for the Yuletide period, many Americans think it of it as just as important as Christmas.

At least in the US, Christmas preparations don’t start in September.

(Just a quick footnote, our works Christmas do is already booked and has been for several weeks. Does that make me a bit of a hypocrite?) n I see the decision has been made for the Warrington Western Link bypass preferred route.

  • The so-called Red Route has been put forward to the council’s executive for the final decision to be made.

Amendments to the route now mean only four homes will have to be demolished to make way for the road from Walton to Sankey Bridges.

But my heart goes out to the people whose homes are close to the proposed route, those living in quiet cul-de-sacs who may find themselves blighted by living in the shadow of a massive flyover.