At this very moment, thousands of people around the country are partaking in one of the great festive rituals: putting up the Christmas tree. Depending on your style, this means either an annual trip into the crawlspace (or garage, or wherever) to retrieve the dusty box that houses your plastic monstrosity or a visit to a Christmas tree farm where you will buy a real tree that will inevitably end up rotting on the street by early January.

Either way, the first of December is generally agreed as the correct day to begin this process.

Without trying to be the Grinch who stole Christmas, it’s time to step away from the tinsel.Credit: Michael Howard

Of course, some will go early, the same people who make loving Christmas their entire personality. While purists would argue that putting up the tree before December goes against the spirit of the season (baby Jesus would be so sad), that’s less of a concern. Personally, I think we should be more worried about those who leave their decorations up well into February, a surefire sign of mental illness.

Anyway, these are not the rules we are here to discuss. You see, if you believe the hype, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, though really it’s the most regulated. Whether you like it or not, we have developed a set........

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