Christmas creeps gently

LAST weekend saw a flurry of slushy, sugary Christmas adverts blown into our living rooms.

From the X Factor crowd who popped up for M&S (what have they done with Twiggy?) to anti-establishment hero Morrissey rather controversially gifting Please Let Me Get What I Want to John Lewis, to smiley Stacey Solomon driving home for Christmas to spoil her guests with frozen mini prawn cocktails, the message was obvious: the season of spending is upon us.

Well, not that you would notice in Alderney. And gosh, that's nice.

Not once has Noddy Holder bellowed his annual festive announcement at me and neither have torturous jangly yuletide tunes forced their way into my head.

In Alderney, Christmas is creeping in gently, like Jack Frost stealing over a farmer's field.

A couple of weeks ago saw the start of Thursday late-night shopping. Local choral group Wine and Song gathered to sing as the pharmacy, the charity shop, a food shop and a wool shop thronged with customers.

London House, the electrical shop and purveyor of gadgets like iPhones, has unveiled a rather tasteful tree; the butcher is taking Christmas orders, festive stamps are advertised as available in the post office and silver baubles have appeared in the window of the Alderney Wildlife Trust.

Into early December, the build-up continues. On Friday 9, shops will set out stalls outside their premises, the Island Band will play and Victoria Street lights will be twinkling.

The culmination will be the Christmas Fayre at the Island Hall, put on by the Rotary Club, where crafts will be sold and Father Christmas will visit in his sleigh, giving out presents to the under-10s. Local legend has it that he arrives on Joey, the yellow Trislander with a red nose.

Then, on 17 December, the Alderney local produce market will serve up locally-made breads, drinks and cakes.

Missing Primark? Not a bit of it.

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Speaking of getting ready for winter, islanders have been asked to look out for a small garden guest. Vet Helen Dickinson warned that late-born blondies were at risk of starving over the winter, as they are too young to hibernate.

'If you see a hedgehog in your garden that is about the size of a tennis ball when it is curled up, or 600g in weight, then it is a young one,' she explained. 'Adult hedgehogs will be preparing to hibernate at this time of year, but those small enough to pick up are too small to do so. They need to be kept warm and fed with dry kitten food. You should take it into your garage or house. And I'm not prejudiced – I'll treat any hedgehog, whatever its colour.'