Christmas starts on...

[storminabuttercup]

What date do you start getting in to the festive spirit? It used to be when the stuff went in the shops, but that gets earlier every year.

For me it's the day that greggs start selling festive bakes (usually the 6th November) then I really feel like Christmas is coming!

[PetiteRaleuse]

Christmas Eve bah humbug.

But as I now have a toddler I suppose I will have to get organised a little earlier.

[wfrances]

dec 1st, i start adding the christmas bits and bobs too the house(cushions,throws,candles,wreath)
trees and lights dont go up untill the second week though.
my kitchen dab radio had a christmas music channel last year that was fab,i think that started in nov,that made me want to make cookies and mince pies

[oreocrumbs]

Christmas shopping starts when the kids go back to school, so first week of September.

Christmas starts when starbucks bring out the gingerbread lattes. Around the first week of November iirc. mmmmm Christmas.

[NervousAt20]

All our decorations go up on the 1stthen it really feels like Christmas is coming even though I start y shopping way before then. I love it when the coca cola advert comes on the Telly too, that's very Christmassy

[MonsterBookOfTysons]

When I have bought the dcs presents so I know its done.
So will be mid November this year.
I love Christmas :o

What festive bakes do greggs do? I have missed those :)

[QueenHandRockingCradleFuri]

For me it's when all the Halloween stuff gets out the shops and they put all the Christmas stuff comes in. Then the music channels start the Christmas music Love it! I put my decorations up on the first too and love the cola advert.

Mmmm Greggs Festive bakes them and a Christmas truffle.

[CherryMonster]

when i see the coca cola christmas ad on tv. this is usually last week of november/ first week of december ish. christmas cant start until i have seen it, and if my family see it when i am out of the room, they pause the tv so i can watch it.

[marriednotdead]

When I hear 'I believe in Father Christmas' by Greg Lake. It always crops up somewhere before I have to dig out my Christmas CD, and I can't feel festive til I've heard it.

[storminabuttercup]

Gregs festive bakes have chicken, bacon stuffing and cranberry. I need at least one a week when they are out

YY to coca cola advert.

I can't wait to start playing my bublee cd!

[PeppermintLatte]

Aaahh, greggs festive bakes & starbucks/costa christmas drink, i cannot wait! Usually around 6th november isn't it? (Day after bonfire night)

As from nov 6th the christmas music is blasted in the car non stop, we also watch non stop christmas films. The diet usually goes oyt of the window then due to those bloody festive bakes!

[NervousAt20]

Completely agree with Christmas songs on the music channel!!!!

[FredWorms]

Christmas music channel?

That sounds marvellous. When/how can I find this thing?

[Haribojoe]

I start thinking/getting excited about Christmas around August

I buy presents throughout the year to help spread the cost.

The big excitement for me starts on the last weekend of November when we have pre-Christmas Christmas day.

We started the tradition the year my Mum died (Christmas was her favourite time of year), we spend the day decorating the house, listening to festive tunes and have a big roast dinner

[LauraShigihara]

I can't say I have ever associated Greggs with the spirit of Christmas

I will get everything together through November and the start of December but I only really start to feel the love at the end of term, when the school start doing all their Christmassy bits and bobs.

Then we all meet up as a family for a massive lunch, followed by panto (for the kids' sakes ) and that feels like Christmas.

[Startailoforangeandgold]

DH would say stir up Sunday, the one before Advent. The church reading say something about stirring up the souls of thy people.
He says it's to remind you to make pudding and cake

[TeaOneSugar]

It's not christmas until I've watched on the food channel.

[IWantToGoToThere]

When Starbucks get their red cups in. Or actually, in the few weeks just before when they have the sign up saying 'The red cups are coming!'

[rhondajean]

The day the boots catalogue comes out.

So last week.

[MobileDad]

Once Bonfire is out of the way I really start thinking about it. However I like to only play the music (a lot) once the Decorations are up on 1st December.

I must admit to searching out for new Christmas tunes, some of the old classics from my youth are great but come across as a little depressing (especially when you watch the videos) as they are so disconnected from what life is like now.

We don't watch much TV at all (for example this week we will eventually watch X Factor and that is it) so I miss all those wonderful adverts and Christmas specials of Only Fools and Horses!

[Some0ne]

It used to be when the Christmas edition of Good Food magazine came out, so around the start of November. I'm pretty much done collecting new Christmas recipes though, so I'm not going to bother with that any more.

Now it's the baroque music festival that happens near us in mid-November that kicks the whole thing off for me, though I won't listen to Christmas music till the decorations go up, maybe a week or two into December (I've overdosed on carols before by starting to early and it wasn't pretty).

[ObiWan]

I feel justified in starting Christmassy stuff from the first Sunday of Advent.

That's not to say that I don't start earlier, I just throw subtlety out of the window from that point onwards.

I have a question about Greggs festive bakes. I had a chicken bake a while ago, and it was like a creamy, vomity foam in pastry. People said they were meant to be like that . Are the festive bakes actually edible (like the steak bakes, they are nice)? Or vomity foam with bits in?

[storminabuttercup]

Obi, I think you had a dodgy one! Chicken bakes aren't foamy!!

[gazzalw]

Well certainly not today - popped into Argos to take advantage of the 3 for 2 offer on toys...had a shortlist of four items - two had to be ordered in - asked the shop assistant if I could order them in and pay for them today to take advantage of the current promotion - "oh no that's not allowed" was the response...and Argos wonders why it's losing customers - GRRRRRRR!

[FairiesWearPoppies]

The coca cola ad just been played! "holidays a coming" it's now officially Xmas in my house!!!!!

[AuntieShirley]

From December 1st the only music played in this house is one of the many Christmas CD's. Then on the first Thursday of December my town does it's late night Christmas Shopping and we take the dc out to buy presents from them to the grandparents. Then it is Christmas time!