Photographic evidence.
I know, I know... should probably hold a newspaper up to prove it's a recent photo. Don't ask why we have snow iconography in a city it never snows for a holiday that takes place in summer appearing in a photograph taken in spring.
I am reminded, of course, of NSG's most famous ever post:
Trotskylvania wrote:There is actually a War on Christmas. But Christmas started it, with it's unparalleled aggression against the Thanksgiving Holiday, and now Christmas has seized much Lebensraum in November, and are pushing into October. The rest of us seek to repel these invaders, and push them back to the status quo ante bellum Black Friday border.
Clearly over the last seven years, Christmas has managed to push the front back even further... or maybe NZ's just more vulnerable since we have none of these other holidays.
But this is my point... is there a point where Christmas appears on the horizons too absurdly early? And, if so, when is that? Attendant questions are... which is better, summer or winter Christmas? and do you actually even like Christmas? (and/or analogous cultural holiday)
My responses:
- Look, it's just plain silly to be thinking about Christmas in October. Not because it's so far away, since it's not that far away really, but because there's just no decent Christmas movies on television in October. I mean, you can break out some books like Hogfather but, really, what's the point? Seriously, though, Christmas is all about the cultural representations and the food.
- By reference to the previous answer... I guess eventually there'll be so many canonical Christmas things to think about, you'd have to start watching on Boxing Day to feel caught up. Seriously, though, when you're too divorced from the timing of the media, you're too far away.
- I'm gonna go with summer. NZ basically shuts down for a whole month after Christmas. It's kind of stupid, but it's better than having a few days off and then going back to work. Also, what is even the point of snow based iconography when there's actual snow? Live in the moment. Experience the real life. Bloody millennials...
- I do, actually. Home Alone got me excited, Arthur broke me down, that thing about the polar bears and the ice-cream built me back up and Die Hard converted me.
So, what say ye, NSG?
Not really Halloween, Saint Nicholas, Thanksgiving, etc. 
