Wrexham County Borough 128 - Halloween celebrations in the village /the new M & S Christmas advert - this is not just any old football team

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Halloween , Marks and Spencers and football are words that do not often get put together. When I read the title of the blog back I think what on earth do they have in common .

Halloween that import from the USA which seemed to grow in popularity . It is that time of the year .Schools had pumpkin competitions . Children of all ages took to knocking on door trick and treating . Houses displayed their carved pumpkins for all to see and those who hated it locked their doors and wished the night away . So many mixed feelings . There was probably less homage in our village to Halloween to be fair. Less population . More elderly and retired than children . However there were some displays in the gardens .

I wondered if perhaps the weather would keep the trick and treaters indoors . Maybe the parents are less keen to let their offspring out in the dark and the cold . I guess some offspring probably prefer to sit in front of their computers rather than go out for Halloween .

I had expected the local school to have something of a celebration of ghouls , ghosts and such like . The two local schools where we lived previously seemed to celebrate everything with a display on the school gates and fences . The children were encouraged to make plastic pumpkins which were attached to the fences . They produced ghostly items which decorated the windows .

Here it seems as if there was nothing . If I had not realised it was Halloween I would not have been reminded anywhere in our small village .

On my walk past the local shop there was nothing Halloween or pumpkin related . Just a small sign from the local church welcoming parishioners to the church for a service of rememberance for souls passed over . As it was also All Hallows that made sense . Again I wondered just how many people went to the All Hallows service and how many asked for their relatives long gone to be remembered .

In a few windows I saw displays some synthetic made up of Autumnal fruit and vegetables interspersed and intertwined with Autumnal coloured leaves and berries . They looked pretty brightening up the window cills .

Here and there was a carved pumpkin. Some small and delicately carved . Others larger and much cruder .

Other people had placed pumpkins made out of an orange velvet like fabric . I liked those . No waste . Nothing to throw away . Pretty and recyclable . Hit every mark . Ticked every box .

My walk had taken me around the village from one end to the other . Today had been very much a home rather than an away blog .

After the rather damp misty walk it was time to go home. Pop the coffee on . Take in the smell of coffee percolating . Put the toast on and put the TV on .

The Christmas adverts have started . All competing against each other to provide the funniest or the best advert . Too early for me . November seems much to early to be thinking about Christmas . I almost switched them off . I did not want to see Kevin the Carrot or the other adverts that were quickly filling the screen trying to encourage us to buy our Christmas food from them rather than their competitors .

And then the M & S advert popped up. The comedienne Dawn French voicing over the Christmas angel who was looking out of the window to a snowy scene outside . Dawn had been the Christmas angel last year for M & S . Marks and Spencers one of our up market food halls and store where you go to for well made clothing . The advert this year featured two soggy mittens were discarded on the snow . Left and right mitten as they were christened talked to each other . Dawn invited them in to the warm room to thaw out . I cannot remember if it was right mitten who dragged left through the window or the other way round . It seems that Millie had left them out in the snow .

One mitten spoke - that voice sounded familiar . Second mitten replied - another familiar dulcet tone . I had heard those voices before . The scene panned to the Christmas tree covered in baubles . Was that our co-chairmen - Rob McElleney and Ryan Reynolds voicing the mittens? Was that a Wrexham AFC bauble I saw there ? Surely not . Was that Rex the Dragon the Wrexham mascot under the table . It never could be - could it ? What had our owners gone and done ? In true Rob and Ryan fashion they had linked up with non other than M & S who are now sponsors of our team .

If you look hard enough beyond the fairy , behind the mittens who are there ? Non other than our town football team . M & S could have chosen any football team . Just like their adverts about food - not just any food but M & S food . The advert told the world that this is not any old football team but this is Wrexham AFC .

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