A Childlike Christmas - Beginnings

What did I like doing when I was a child? I liked asking people questions and writing down the answers. So in the spirit of Pom Pom's Childlike Christmas, I have been asking questions, and here are some of the answers!I asked the children I work with (aged from 5 to 9 - the teenagers and adults I teach were not invited!) a few questions about Christmas, and today I've decided to tell you about the answers to the question: 'How do you know when Christmas has started?'

I thought it was a bit of a leading question - we adults complain a lot about Christmas starting earlier every year, and the pressure on children in the shops and through advertising. The replies to my question surprised me! Here are some of them:"I know Christmas is starting when it gets very cold."
"I know Christmas is beginning when it's December and we get the chocolate calendar."
"Christmas starts when it gets all cold, it starts snowing sometimes and it's usually December when it happens."
"I know Christmas starts on the 24th because... the next day there's Christmas!" And just to prove that children are less confused about this than adults, I leave the last word to an eight-and-a-half year old:

"You don't know when Christmas starts? Go to the beginning of December. Count on 25 days. Then it's Christmas!"