My recent discovery that in the Philippines they start celebrating Christmas on September 1 was music to my ears. Christmas music. By Mariah Carey, naturally.
While I’m not quite ready to put the tree and decorations up just yet (I manage to restrain myself until at least December 1), I am one of those people who starts preparing for the festive season the moment the children go back to school for winter term.
The prep starts small.
I may find myself pausing a little longer by the sweet mincemeat in the home bake section of the supermarket, wondering how many jars to stock up on.
I’ll certainly be considering what kind of advent calendars to buy: chocolate for the children, Harry Potter Lego for me. Don’t judge.
The earlier you prepare, the more time you’ll have to enjoy all the fun things
I’m also a big believer in scenting my home according to the seasons. So candles with names such as Sea Salt Breeze and Beach Days are phased out to be replaced by ones called Cardigan by the Fireside and Autumn Leaves. Because if I can’t personally feel the scrunch of brown leaves underfoot, you can be sure my house will smell like them.
Ditto the hand soaps in the bathroom. It’s goodbye, Summer Nights and hello, Snickerdoodle Marshmallow Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cinnamon Candy Cane.
It’s worth noting here that I have no idea what a snickerdoodle actually is.
All of which means that from September, if you step inside my home, it’ll smell a lot like Christmas.
I admit to being appalled by those folks who leave their Christmas shopping until the very last minute, waiting for the Amazon truck to reverse up the driveway on Christmas Eve for a frenzied night of hectic wrapping and sticky-taping.
Perhaps they’re thrill chasers? The kind of people who leave a deadline until the last possible moment, then pull an all-nighter fuelled by caffeine and adrenalin.
Good luck to them, but that’s not for me. I like my Santa-hatted ducks in a row even though December is still months away.
Think I’m running away with myself? Read my start-prepping-for-Christmas-now manifesto and see if I can change your mind.
1. Things get booked up
Festive season is a busy time when people go out more, meet up with friends and have family to stay. There are also only so many tables available for brunch, be it Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
And it’s not just about dining plans. There are events and pantomimes, ballets and children’s shows in the run-up to the big day, which builds a lovely Christmassy vibe. Do I have my tickets booked already? You bet.
For Christmas Day brunch, I like to start putting out feelers now, to find out who is around and what their plans are.
Naturally, some of my friends will scoff and claim they need to get Halloween out of the way first before they even think about it, but by then, I’ll have my outdoor table, not too near the band, booked.
2. Presents may need to come from abroad
Thankfully, I’ve never found myself in a Jingle All the Way situation in which a harried Arnold Schwarzenegger spends Christmas Eve desperately trying to track down the year’s must-have toy for his son.
That’s because I start my shopping now. Well, truthfully, I start my shopping in January. Hear me out.
I keep a list in my Notes app of all the things the children mention they like or are into throughout the year. Then, when it starts edging closer to Christmas, I go through the list and pick the things they’ll love the most.
Often, these might need to come from farther afield than the UAE, so I order now to not only avoid disappointment, but also the shipping delays that are par for the course nearer Christmas.
3. Visitors require organisation
December is peak time for visitors and not just because of the festive season. The weather is lovely, the children are off school and whatever you celebrate, it’s just a great time to be with family and friends.
If I’m expecting visitors, I need to work out the bed-to-person ratio. Where will people sleep? Do I have enough duvets? Do I need to order or borrow blow-up mattresses or travel cots?
Will the children all fit in one room? Is the hand soap in the guest bathroom Snickerdoodle Marshmallow Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cinnamon Candy Cane?
Plus, there’s the food. Visitors can easily go through the entire week’s food shop in a few days, so I’m already planning menus, meals and snacks.
4. The Christmas pudding needs to be ready
Hmm, I should have started making that about six months ago, so forget about this one, maybe next year. On to …
5. The earlier you prep, the more time you have to enjoy yourself
The festive season is a busy time. But the earlier you prepare, the more time you’ll have to enjoy all the fun things.
No one wants to miss out on going to pantomime because the turkey didn’t defrost and you have to stay up all night aiming the hair dryer at it.
Likewise, the supermarket run early on Christmas Day is a little too much real world on a magical morning.
So, there you have it. Start now and by Christmas Eve you’ll have your feet up and a mince pie in hand watching a so-bad-it’s-good Netflix Christmas movie, while everyone else is running around like Schwarzenegger.
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPECS
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
