I swear years ago Christmassy stuff never started this early?!

[Spuck]

Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas but my fuck it’s early Sept and I’m seeing…

• Christmas threads on here!
• Christmas decorations in shops
• Christmas sections on different websites

I feel like it’s started even earlier this year?!

When I think back as a kid, I vaguely remember not seeing anything Christmas related until Halloween had passed? Or has it always been like this?

As much as I love that particular period, I don’t appreciate it starting this early. It simply is not and actually is nowhere even near, Christmas?!

Supermarkets wouldn't use up shelf space on Christmas stuff if it didn't sell at this time of year. It does so they'd be silly to miss out.

I don't remember Christmas starting until at least mid November when I was a child, and no-one I knew ever celebrated hallowe'en.

Oh, I feel so seen by this thread!! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas and the process of collecting gift ideas and shopping, I love making smartshow 3d christmas video cards and decorating the house, but it's SEPTEMBER! I may buy a thing or two as a future Christmas gifts if I see a good deal and I know it'll be something the person would love, but I'm not singing Christmas carol just yet. Time is fleeting, why are we trying to make it fly even faster...

Laughing at the pp who said Christmas talk before bonfire night is vulgar! I feel the same but my ‘oh gosh’ moment is when I see Christmas things before 11th November! 😂

It’s 100 days til Christmas today. I am only thinking about it because I am starting a 100 day project to make myself healthier and happier before Christmas. It’s ages away! In my head it’s still summer until the equinox (so this weekend). Why must we rush everything?

If enough people didn't buy Christmas stuff thus early, the shops would stop!

They wouldn't want their profits to drop.

We can control this…😉😆

In the last century, I had a part time job at M&S, the Christmas catalogue for their fancy food ordering arrived during the summer holidays. Definitely they were taking Christmas orders before August bank holidays.

I remember putting out some Christmas things and then there were customers tutting and saying Christmas didn’t start in September when they were young. (This was late 90s). So I think the big chains have always had some Christmas bits available /start their Christmas orders and plans this early, just you’d be oblivious to it as a child and only notice once you are the one “doing Christmas”, not being one of the ones purely “enjoying Christmas”.

And all the Halloween stuff! It’s not even October!

I don’t understand it, it’s like wishing your life away. I wonder if those who have this big build up feel very down when it’s all over, like those who plan their wedding for two years?

I find the same with present buying, I am probably a bit odd as I love the last minute Christmas shop. We don’t go overboard and tend to do secret Santa so don’t have to buy that much, but my husband and I take the last day of nursery off, hit the West End, get all the presents, then have a slap up lunch and try not to smell too much of festive cheer when doing pick up!

The boxes of chocs used to be in shops last week in August but this year it was the beginning of August.

Oh actually to be fair - when I worked in an M&S in the 90s, it was in one of their bigger city centre stores so they may well have got Christmas earlier than the smaller stores in smaller towns. But it was definitely still school holidays.

Are Scream Eggs in shops yet?

And I like those praline Christmas Pud things.

Re Halloween becoming a bigger event - northern 80s we all got dressed up and trick or treated. But I reckon the parties and the associated decoration /snacks became more commercial as everyone stopped hosting Bon fire night parties at home. We always had parties for bon fire night - was a group of about 5 families my parents were friends with and we took it in turns to host. Everyone at school had either had fireworks at home or gone to someone else’s home, not a proper display.

Now, I don’t know anyone who does bon fire night at home, everyone goes to organised fire work displays.

I reckon that’s pushed the supermarkets to push the Halloween party / house decorations, they are just replacing their early November party event.

I definitely remember that when I was a child, Christmas goods didn't appear in most shops until at least November.
The Christmas lights in towns were not switched on until December.
The vast majority of people didn't put up their Christmas trees until the middle of December - in fact, as I recall, you couldn't actually buy one before December anyway, as they didn't get cut until late November. Many people waited till Christmas Eve before putting their tree up.
Woolworths was the most Christmasssy shop in our town and was usually the first one to put decorations up and play Christmas music but I don't remember it being before December.

The local restaurant we go to for Christmas lunch is completely booked.
They used to start sending out reminder emails beginning of October, this year it was the middle of August!

Crazy times😜

This is the first Christmas related thread I have seen

I think it was back in 1995 that a lot of the big stores (Woolworths, Debenhams) were putting their Christmas stuff out on the 1st of October and I thought WTAF? But that was nothing! Nowadays it's the end of August and Tesco and Asda are putting Christmas stuff out. Back in the 60s and 70s it was unusual to see this before the beginning of November,if then. I suspect in 20 years time that it will be appearing just after Valentine's Day.

I don't remember it starting as early when I was younger, but I had less to do.

Now, being a grown up with a few people to buy for (some which require posting or sending with relatives who are visiting) it's so handy for me that I can start now. I'll have the long distance ones done this month, then I can spread the cost and time shopping/wrapping it all over next month for everyone else. I leave my kids presents until the end of November to avoid last minute changes to lists.

I also buy gift cards through the year to Asda/aldi/M&S to cover the Christmas food shop. But also being able to pick up a few non-perishables from October onwards also helps.

They sell toys and gift sets all year round. There's always birthdays. It's no hardship to extend the range put a few Christmasy bits in alongside.

Its clearly got worse as the years have gone on. It does create stress as there's always stuff you could buy to make the " perfect" Christmas.
We always go away for Christmas . If it's not in someone's car then the gift/ cream/ brandy snaps/ is done without.

I went to a Brewers Fayre Pub with my daughter last week and in the entrance was a giant Christmas tree with a sign advertising Christmas bookings. Fine to advertise the Christmas bookings but do we really need the Christmas tree in September! Even my 9 year old said why is there a Christmas tree up.

Tricky one for me. I've been on the Christmas threads for years as I like to spread my present buying over the year and get things on sale so I buy a couple of gifts per month and that way don't need to save specifically for Christmas presents. But I fully appreciate it is annoying for most many people so we do tend to keep to the Christmas board in fairness!

But I do agree with you on seeing some Christmas stuff in the supermarkets from now. I understand if it's something you can put away for the season like a Christmas pudding as lots of people are on tight budgets and will try to spread the cost but I do not understand perishable goods like mince pies. I'm a complete Christmas obsessive and even I don't eat mince pies in September! 🤣

I also agree that Christmas has become overly commercial. I love buying a few thought-out presents that I've managed to get a bargain on by starting early but definitely am not on board with the Christmas Eve/North Pole breakfast/1st December boxes/Elf on the shelf stuff that seems to have exploded over the past few years as I find it excessive.

Having the shops riddled with Christmas tat and junk food for a third of the year is one of the several reasons I stopped celebrating Christmas at all.

My winters are ever so much nicer now.

Some people like to get organised early. It's not as if shops are decorated and Christmas music is on, but people have the option to start buying decorations/gifts/food if they want to spread the cost.

One of our Philippino porters proudly showed me pictures of his home decorated ready for Christmas ...in September. He does it every year. I checked with the other Philippino porters but they said they do not do it that early!

By the way, I don't know how big the selection boxes are/will be but I went to an outlet and Cadburys had a store there and my friend and I could not get over how tiny the selection boxes were there!!