‘Feelgood’ festive ads have me blubbering … and don’t get me started on the mischievous elf!

There’s less than three weeks now to Christmas and the advertising gurus have ensured that I have already had the tissues out again. But it’s hard to beat our own Graham Norton’s offering for Waitrose

• I OFTEN wonder about people who create TV ads for Christmas. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at one of their planning meetings.

• Here’s how I think it might go: the boss says: ‘Right guys! What do we have for this year? What new ways do have to make people feel really, really gut wrenchingly sad when they see our ad?’ Someone chimes in enthusiastically about something involving an old person, being on their own, with sad music... and no heating. And the boss is like: ‘Good, good, I like it, but that’s only going to bring on some subtle lip-trembling. What do we have that will have people weeping and wailing uncontrollably in their armchairs ... anyone?’

• We’re not even halfway through the month yet and I am just not able for it ... all that emotion coming at you from the small screen. One festive ad I do love, though, is Graham Norton’s one for Waitrose. He only makes a tiny little appearance but the whole thing sparks so much joy. Look it up if you haven’t seen it. More of that please, ad makers! Tis the season to be jolly and all the rest.

• And don’t get me started on the festive movies (sorry, ‘fillums’) ... so much more emotion. I figured I’d be able for something as basic as Christmas Chronicle starring Kurt Russell. But two minutes in, and it was obvious that the dad had ‘passed’ (sorry, can’t say the ‘d’ word) and it was secret sobbing from me all the way for the next 90 minutes or so.

I’m gearing up to rewatch The Nativity which is one of my all-time favourites. We could all do with a Mr Poppy in our lives!

Again, I can’t help but shed a tear but what I like is that there’s also lots of punching the air like you just don’t care, with feelgood overload. I’ve only just discovered there’s a Christmas Chronicle 2 and a Nativity 2 and 3 so I’m ecstatic. I’m planning to down tools for a few afternoons over the next few weeks to indulge in some good old-fashioned viewing, (and a cleansing sob!) with my smallie.

• For sure it’s a busy time but so many people say these are the memories they treasure most and wish they made more of it. Teens are great (when they’re not being completely painful!) but they don’t really do those gorgeous squeals of delight at the TV when Santa/Mr Poppy saves the day! Squealing is what it’s all about. Ad makers take note: more squealing please. Lots of it.

• Anyway, that was a nice early Christmas present wasn’t it from RTÉ, cutting Fair City from four to three nights? Decent of them. I jest. Kind of. I know a lot of people make their living from the soap opera but it’s well ... let’s just say that three nights a week is plenty, right?

I hadn’t seen it in years but it was on in a house I visited recently and there was Damo and Dolores and the gang in full flight like I had never left. Fair play to their stamina is all I can say.

• Are we all back in the swing of having the festive elves to stay? I marvel at the enthusiasm and ingenuity of some elves. Our elf is quite lazy to be honest and has even managed to communicate to us that on weekends she wouldn’t be getting up to any pranks or mischief so there is no point getting up early to see what she’s been up to.

I thought that was pretty sound of her, to be honest. I mentioned before how it was my husband who introduced us to the elf. He arrived home with another new ‘tradition’ the other day – a wooden advent calendar, the sort you put your own surprise into. Just like the time with the elf, I wondered what planet he was on as I saw nothing wrong with the shop one that came already stocked with the cheap and cheerful chocolate. Needless to say I’m the one that now has to come up with daily ‘surprises.’

What I’m really thinking is what a surprise it would be it if disappeared – I could blame the elf.

• I haven’t put our tree up yet and feel like I’m very much in the minority. When we were kids we’d always wait until around my brother’s birthday which is December 20th. Now we bring it back to around the 8th.

This year for the first time we’re swapping a real tree for a fake one. It’s half to do with my completely irrational dislike of insects (I’d have myself convinced they’d be crawling out of the tree ... what can I say, I’m proper mad), but also because so many people say it helps maintain marital bliss over the holiday period (no arguing over what tree to get, if it’s big enough, how to get it home, if it’s up straight etc).

I kind of feel like I’m cheating but let you know how it goes.