'Tis the season to be jolly optimistic'

A trip to one of the family's favourite Italian eateries the other day didn't just ram pizza and pasta down our throats.

The amount of sparkly decorations, tinsel and festive music made me do a double-take in case I'd somehow time-travelled to Christmas Eve. It made me think it won’t be long before we see promos of Greg Taylor in an elf suit and Cameron Carter-Vickers doing his best Santa impersonation for the annual club video stocking filler.

It also got me wondering whether, in the past few years, the Celtic support has been more optimistic about the upcoming yuletide season?

Here's the wishlist manager Brendan Rodgers is about to post. Wins over Aberdeen in early December and Rangers in early January, with a League Cup winner's medal in between. The next batch of games, including Club Brugge at the end of November, could also guarantee the club a place in the latter stages of the Champions League.

I'd wager it's quite a while since the Parkhead punters were licking their lips this time of year at the prospect of the holiday football schedule.

Last year there was quite the wobble when a home draw with Motherwell was followed by defeats to Kilmarnock and Hearts.

The previous year, even though Ange Postecoglou would proceed to win the treble, a 5-1 thumping at Real Madrid confirmed Celtic would be picking up just two of the available 18 Champions League points.

The season before that, the big Aussie was still building a squad and gave Rangers an eight-point start before overhauling Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men in the Reo Hatate 'demolition derby' of early February 2022.

As for the festive period in 2020? It's best not to mention that too loudly around some Celtic fans for fear of triggering very unpleasant memories. Celtic 1-4 Sparta Prague. Celtic 0-2 Ross County. You get the drift.

As autumn turns sharply to winter now, however, there is barely a cloud on Celtic's horizon. Just the two points shed in a Premiership campaign livened up – for them as well as us – by the excellence of Aberdeen thus far, matching Brendan Rodgers' men stride for impressive stride.

Pittodrie on the evening of 4 December, anyone? A 'must listen' on Sportsound for the live action. Appointment viewing on Sportscene for the highlights after.

The week after, there's a trip to Dinamo Zagreb that could confirm – if it hasn't already been settled - Celtic's Champions League progression. Dining at European football's top table isn't leaving a sour taste in the club's mouth this time around.

Indeed, there's every chance the fans will be tucking into their Christmas turkey with extra relish, while salivating at the prospect of a second helping of Champions League for the first time in well over a decade.