Festive Behaviour

I've always had the stereotype of a typical Londoner as a commuter, happy to keep to themselves, more often than not having a bee in their bonnet, and when things don't go their way, they have a strop and don't care who's in their way.

True to form, whenever I travel back on the tube from Bournemouth I'm bombarded with a flood of these stereotypical individuals crowding my life. The same thoughts in my head predictably trickle back that, simply put, I do not like London.

The last time I brought my bike back on the train, this summertime, it was constantly getting bashed about by busy commuters with no regard for anyone but themselves. The amount of people giving me dirty looks because I brought a bike on a tube I couldn't count on twenty hands let alone two - it was as if I was a new breed of human they'd never seen before, or someone with a birth defect or something, they just couldn't get enough of this weird cyclist-turned-commuter.

However, this time coming home I was given a shock, and this still hasn't gone away. The thing I've realised is that - and this is probably in no small way to the season we're in - people are actually nice now. When my bike boarded the train, people actually moved. Someone even offered me a seat for my troubles. I was recognised by a station guard as a person rather than a moving object - not only this, but he even wished me a good day. This was weird, still is weird, and I'm finding myself having to confirm to myself that I'm still in this clogged-up capital of England where people are actually nice.

Christmas joy really does change people. When doing the 'Christmas shop' at Morrisons yesterday, this spirit rekindled once more. Bar a few people in a frantic rush barging everyone's trolleys out of the way, everyone there was also remarkably nice. People moved out of the way for others (quite a feat this time of year especially in London), people struck up conversations, made jokes, even sang. Someone well into their 50s even wore a santa hat. This kind of stuff just couldn't be made up.

I only wonder how long this festive spirit will last. Will people, come the 26th of December, turn back into the rowdy bunch of boring sods I'm far more familiar with? Or will it take a few weeks to restore the balance of joyful and joyless bodies?

I hope I'm wrong in thinking this, but already I fear my journey back to Bournemouth will be a very annoying one. I'm actually counting down the days to when people will suddenly realise there's not actually that much to celebrate now Christmas is over and done with. I'm not looking forward to Boxing Day in this aspect.

For now though, let the good times roll. Christmas has engulfed the nation, and for now at least, is here to stay. Let the season of merriment prosper!