Yuletide appreciation

My. How things have changed since I was a kid. I cannot remember anything like this when I was a youngster, although I still recall the expectation of visits from Santa and the joy and surprise of waking up ridiculously early on a Christmas morning to find a stocking at the bottom of the bed. Well, it was always a pillowcase!
But the shops where we lived were nothing like this in the lead up to the big day itself.  If fact shops like this didn’t exist at that time.  But we are talking of a good few years ago now.
Would I like to go back to those days, or rather be of an age where I would really be excited by the unknown promise a Christmastime greeting like this at the entrance to the shops?
I suppose I still am thrilled to see this sort of display, and judging by some of the very noisy and seemingly unruly children I have encountered in shops in the last day or two, I will rejoice at being way past that age.  Or maybe it is because I am past that age that I am now showing that I am a grumpy old granddad.
Did I, and those of the same generation miss out, all those years ago?  I think not, because our expectations immediately after wartime were so very different.
So I shall just take satisfaction of being able to enjoy the Christmas lights in the streets, take pleasure from all the decorations and elaborate displays like this as being part of our present age, and be thankful that I have the health and fitness to appreciate it all.

But there you go, I am just a kid at heart.