For those of you still recovering from the Christmas hangover, hot cross buns can be a startling sight when they show up on supermarket shelves in December.

While in recent years, the trend has been ever-increasing (remember when they showed up in January and we all flipped our lids?) can we all agree that Boxing Day is just a bit too soon?

Maybe it’s part of the territory of being a mother to a pre-school-aged kid but my internal clock has just recovered from Halloween. I’m not even sure what happened at Christmas and apparently, as of today, it’s time to start working on Easter.

Related story: The great bun debate: should hot cross buns be available year round?

There are plenty of people who welcome the sight of the sticky six-packs, whenever they arrive. And I’ll admit, there is a certain practicality to the hot cross bun as an easy breakfast, lunch, snack, whatever, but I’m sticking to my guns on this one and don’t want to see the fruity and festive-spiced rolls anywhere near a bakery until at least February.

The hot cross bun – like the chocolate bunny, the marshmallow Santa, Diwali laddoos or the lunar moon cake – is a seasonal treat. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep that fleeting magic?

All of this is not to paint myself as a curmudgeon of ba-humbug. I love celebrations, whimsy, wonder and – at times – the ridiculous. But even I have to concede that the whole “‘tis the season” energy can only get you so far, especially when said season stretches non-stop from Halloween right through until Easter Monday.

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