...to think that Christmas shouldn't take over a third of the year?

[WiIdfire]

So it's started already. Christmas threads outside of the Christmas topic. 'What have you bought for Christmas?' discussions in three differ Facebook groups I'm in. Supermarkets starting to stock chocolate santas. In August. AUGUST!?!

If you are the sort of person who buys gifts throughout the year, to spread the cost and use for birthdays and Christmas, that's fine. But I think it is totally unreasonable to say 'it's August, must start Christmas shopping!', am I wrong? I'm not even Humbug about it, I enjoy the festival itself, but does it have to start so flipping early???

So, am I just grouchy, and need to leave the Internet for the next three months, or is anyone with me?



(And yes, I appreciate the irony that I have now started a Christmas thread. In August. But it was giving me the rage.)

[JellyBelli]

Its now Spring, Summer, Autumn, Christmas.
Shops shouldnt be allowed to mention it til December IMO.

[OvO]

Id like to have the sort of income that means I can buy everything in December. But I don't. So I buy when I see things I know they'll like so I can spread the cost. Or in the case of my youngest I need months to just find the things he'd like because they don't make them anymore!

I don't save then buy it all in December either as the money would end up being spent on a bill or unexpected repair or whatever.

I wish people would spend even 30 seconds thinking why people buy early rather than being sneering and insulting.

[Thebearsbunny]

Slightly off topic but since myself and my DB left home my parents expect a Christmas lunch and buffet tea in each of our houses plus they still invite us to them. So we end up having three identical Christmas lunches and three identical buffet teas over three consecutive days...same food, same company, boring as hell after day two. I eventually persuaded everyone Christmas lunch at a local restaurant wouldn't be that much more expensive and a lot less hassle. Trouble is my parents then wanted to know who was doing Boxing Day...can't win.

[Mycatsabastard]

Yanbu

Yes, people like to spread the cost, spread the shopping over the year and that's fine.

Personally I couldn't buy for my dcs before November as I'd have no idea what they want. They change their minds so often when new things come out and if I'd gone and bought a load of stuff for DD2 previously and then the new Lego came out later in the year I'd be kicking myself. So I hold off until I know what she most definitely wants.

And no I don't want to see aisles of xmas things in August. We are still in the summer. The kids haven't got back to school yet. We are still planning bbq's and days at the beach fgs! I have DD2's birthday in a few weeks, then Halloween, Bonfire night and then DSD's 21st birthday to celebrate.

I will think about Christmas in November at the earliest. I don't want to have it bombarded at me so much that by Christmas Eve I'm sick of it. I like December to remain the magical month of planning and excitement and generally getting into the festive mood. Not planning what I'm going to eat four months previously.

[RichardHead]

Dunno I find all this Christmas hatred a bit 'cool girl'. Just ignore it all and stop getting so frothed up about it surely?!

I'm a mixture, can't be arsed in many ways but also quite like it in some ways, probably because my mum was a bit of a cool girl, hater type so we weren't allowed to get excited about it at all as kids.

[user1471552005]

I disagree OP.

I have a small business selling stuff online and things go crazy in the run up to christmas. I need to plan ahead otherwise I would be too stretched. I have already started making christmas stock and doing my own christmas shopping. Many supermarkets sell frozen christmas food really cheaply in November, so I stock up .
We entertain quite a bit over christmas, and this year having relatives from abroad staying for three weeks, I adore the whole season, and being organised allows me to enjoy the time, and not end up a quivering wreck.

[TheHubblesWindscreenWipers]

Urgh. Several on my Facebook going on about 'X sleeps till Xmas!' Already... I find the sleeps thing annoying enough as it is.
Grim.

[JacquesHammer]

Buying early is daft

It would be far dafter to ignore something I know my DD will love but is specific to where we were surely [shrug]

[CurlyMango]

Cake ninja, exactly another thing to chuck. Why?

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

I do my Christmas shopping very late in the season too, don't find it stressful at all.

[Roussette]

I agree bibbity. I think anything to do with Christmas should honestly be banned until 1st December. The kids just get over wound up and it's all a bit meh by the time it comes round.

The only time I thought I would buy some presents in adance was when DCs were younger and I thought it might make life easier. Oh, no it didn't. I just ended up spending twice as much because when it came to near Christmas I didn't like what I'd bought for people, or I discovered they probably wouldn't like it, or I'd forgotten I'd bought anything.

I do all my shopping last minute, it's great! And it means I can avoid all the nonsense for as long as possible.

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

"No, not unreasonable. I feel people miss the best season of the year whittering on about fucking Christmas."

I completely agree with this. I think people who get over excited about Christmas are incredibly immature.

I can't STAND that Christmas starts earlier each year, and the older I get the grumpier I get about it. There's even a fucking sticky thread from Lidl
on this site fgs.

[specialsubject]

We have a cease-fire for adults for just this reason . the tat is for the kids.

[CakeNinja]

Wtf? This is exactly the useless kind of tat present my mum buys!
She sees stuff in the sales and just buys allsorts of random crap and then sits and thinks up people to give it to - regardless of whether or not it's well suited to them. Such a waste of money when it's just been bought because it's cheap!

[specialsubject]

Buying early is daft. With this new calendar, tatmas is over before dec 25th. So you can buy the rubbish in the sales and still hand it over on time.

[JacquesHammer]

I don't particularly plan but I do buy presents throughout the year.

I bought my DD a couple of Christmas presents whilst on holiday because they were place specific.

[CurlyMango]

Might out me but.....giant jar of chocolate covered coffee beans!!!

[CakeNinja]

Curly, what was it?!

[CurlyMango]

Feel disgruntled, OK more than that as I was given a Christmas gift yesterday. After I have said when she said she was bringing it, give it to Dh. She said no you have to open. Then when it was brought out, in front of others I said but it's four months till Christmas. She said you have to open it now to get started! So had to open it, although when I did it really did not need to have been opened at all! Really what's the point. If you want to give a gift. Great, but four months is redicullously early as no way does it relate to Christmas.

[Cagliostro]

Getting a few presents early doesn't mean it takes over though. It's just - oh, that thing I've been thinking of for DC is on sale, I'll get it now and stick it in the cupboard. Then go back to whatever else you're doing. E.g. I've been wanting to get the DCs a particular type of marble run for a few years, but it's expensive - it went cheap just after new year so I got it then, and it'll be their santa present this year. There's also a particular thing I've never been able to find before for stocking fillers, and they are now suddenly available so I'll get them now, as I know they will be sold out again by Christmas. They are decent items that last years (we have other things from the same company), rather than tat. I hate tat. In the past I've got the DCs a couple of bits of silly stuff as I thought it wouldn't be fun/magic without it. But actually they have never been fussed by it, so I don't anymore.

My DCs aren't fussed about particular characters/brands etc, so I'm not worried about things suddenly falling out of favour. They don't do santa letters/wish lists yet (9 and 7) and they are very cynical about the latest 'must have' toys advertised on the telly so I've never had to worry about getting anything like that. If they were, I'd have to leave it later I think, because it would be more likely to change. They like stuff like Lego and Playmobil but it's any set at all rather than a particular one IYSWIM.

I have autism, as do my DCs, so crowded shops are just a no-go - especially when I add on the stress of trying to think of what to buy for people etc and shops like BHS (RIP!) are full of random tat. I just hate it.

We have various 'traditions' like the fact that we always get a board game as a main family present, and DH and I take it in turns to choose so we'll start thinking about it early and go to the lovely game shop to talk to the owner when we have a chance (It's my turn this year :o). DCs always get undies and socks and Top Trumps in their stockings and pyjamas on Christmas Eve (shamelessly nicked from MN, that one) so if I see something during the year, I consider it.

Actual proper Christmas excitement doesn't start in this house until a few days before though. When they were at school it ramped up and up and up for weeks, and they'd be shattered by the end of term. They're home ed now and it's just chilled. The only things that happen before that is that I get my Christmas carol piano book out and play from it a lot, and that they have their chocolate advent calendars (as do DH and I - I wasn't allowed them as a child so making up for it now :o). Decorations would never go up before my birthday (early December) anyway, but usually it's only a few days before the 25th.

[DesignedForLife]

YANBU. I've no problem with buying presents through the year if you see bargains or something special, but who needs chocolates out this early? It's just over commercialisation gone mad, and I hate it. Cheapens the whole thing.

[Poppiesway]

I used to hate this too. I have too many birthdays and other activities between September and Christmas to get out of the way before even thinking about Christmas..
But Reestie on the Christmas bargains thread has really helped me (wether she knows it or not!) just by buying a few things early has made me plan things out more and not made it such a stress in December. I've actually enjoyed Christmas the last two years with the forward planning! [fatherchristmasemoticon]

[JasperDamerel]

I lime to think and plan in advance, but nothing Adventy happens until the actual start of advent, and we don't put up the tree until the 21st December. I don't think that enjoying Christmas and doing bits ahead of time is incompatible with preferring to keep things simple.

I'm an anticipator. I'm also busy planning how to decorate all the rooms in the house, what to plant in the garden, how to make raised beds, three different birthday parties and several different Autumnal meals. In December I will be looking forward to spring.

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

I'm planning Christmas now but that is because I'm a vicar and I need to get dates in the diary and give the choir some choice over carol service dates. For my owning family Christmas planning I try and get as much done in November as possible as It will be wall to wall carol services through December and then come Christmas Eve the service marathon of carol service, crib service, midnight mass, Christmas Day services, hospital services etc.

The only way to make the family event and the church event work is with spend sheets of what to do and when and lists, lots of lists. Gin helps.

[BobbinThreadbare123]

I'm a huge humbug, and I won't apologise for that. Xmas takes over for far too long, and the meaning of it has been lost to commercialisation. I wouldn't celebrate it as a religious festival because it isn't my way anyway.