Matthew Panter: Bring on the countdown to Christmas

​They'd taken a hold of me in a similar way to how a small gold ring of power in JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth reached out to Gollum, seducing him.

This was last Saturday. I took said mince pies home with me, switched on some Shakin' Stevens, Mariah, Slade and The Pogues and grabbed a glass of wine.

I decided that this was officially my countdown to Christmas.

Was this a respectable time to eat my first mince pie to celebrate the start of Christmas?

Probably not in your eyes. Maybe it was a case of peaking too soon.

But festive adverts have started, shelves are stocked with stocking fillers, chocolates and cakes and so, this year, I decided I was going more Will Ferrell’s Buddy the Elf than Jim Carrey's The Grinch.

Halloween was out of the way, the dark nights have drawn in and I decided I wanted something to look forward to.

And that something happens to be the magic of Christmas.

I am sure I'll see more than my fair share of posters on social media whinging and whining about people putting their Christmas decorations up early, or shops selling festive goods too soon.

However, I say, each to their own. You may well want to wait a month or longer to begin your own festive planning.  That's perfectly fine.

But, equally, for those of us who wish it could be Christmas everyday, there's no reason why we shouldn't start the ball rolling early, so Bah Humbug to any of you who disagree!

Watching the news over these past few years has been a particularly depressing with devastating global conflicts, economic challenges and general misery all around, so you can't blame people for wanting to sprinkle some festive spirit into their own lives.

In fairness, I blame my 12-year-old daughter Eleanor for my rediscovered love of Christmas these past few years.

Toys are no longer on her wish-list but she still approaches December 25 with a mix of excitement and joy.

Indeed, once her birthday is out of the way in July, whispered mentions of Christmas start to slowly come into conversation.

I wouldn't say I'm going as far as getting ready to stick the tree and decorations up quite yet - I will wait for December 1 for that - but I'm already well set to step into Christmas.

I may well stick on Home Alone this weekend and if anyone wants to debate whether Die Hard is a festive movie or not, feel free to drop me a line (it is, by the way). 

Sadly, this year, Christmas will be without my parents' cat, Tilly, who has been a mainstay of our family's life for more than 12 years, from before my daughter was born.

I was devastated this week when she was put to sleep as cancer started to take its grip. It has left me contemplating the special bond we have with our pets and what a source of comfort they can be.

I remember one day recently when I was particularly stressed while working from home. I had various deadlines to meet, my internet connection went down and I couldn't do anything. If I had hair, it would have been torn out. 

I race, quite panicked, from my home to my parents, computer and mouse in hand, to use their internet.

Tilly was there and spent the whole afternoon, while I was working, next to me, gently purring. She proved the perfect stress reliever. My cuddly companion made all okay with the world.

The bond you have with your pets can be rich and deep and it's devastating to lose a feline and canine companion.

I'll miss her greatly and I'll be raising a glass of mulled wine in her honour this winter.