Festive chocolate in first week of September - grim.

[OtraCosaMariposa]

My local Tesco on Friday started filling its shelves with selection boxes and chocolate reindeer.

A full 15 weeks until Christmas.

Cards on the table - I loathe all the tat around Christmas, It depresses me that people get caught up with the buy buy buy mentality pushed on them by the retailers. It depresses me that every time I walk into a shop for the next 4 months I am confronted by the tat. It's impossible to avoid it and I hate it.

I love Christmas but not the buying crap stuff,if that was all there was to it I would hate it too
For me its about family,celebrations and my faith
None of that involves buying crap
I try and zone out of the festive chocolates appearing in shops in September

Ok. You don’t like it - maybe just walk past or don’t buy anything from the range. It’s the same with Easter, valentines etc. They bring it all out super early. I love Christmas so I’m not bothered - it means a lot to me but that’s personal.

And yes I agree it lets people spread the cost although it might be better if people spent less

@WaterSheep it’s not just biscuits/sweets I might get the three for two on Pringles or nice cheese crackers, nuts etc, whatever’s on offer that week- don’t want to have the whole family with diabetes by 26th December

We have refillable advent calendars for the kids too so a tub of roses on offer sorts that out cheaply.

Home Bargains were stocking Christmas wrapping paper at the end of August.

I find it depressing too. I understand people need to plan early (I am one of them) but I wish the consumerist aspect of it could be turned down, just a few notches. Weeks and weeks of planning and choosing and buying and organising and wrapping and buying again.
I really want to do Christmas differently this year. But with children (3 primary age) it's difficult.
A Slow Christmas sounds ideal. Anyone ever done one?

I volunteer in a charity shop. A small selection of Christmas cards went out in August

Terribly sorry, I bought some Christmas cards in a charity shop on 2nd September. Because I was in there and saw them.

I mean I’m quite happy not to next time and will buy from a supermarket or online nearer the time if that’s better for you?

They start selling stuff now in the hope that people will eat them and have to replace them, and a lot of people will.

Yesterday, I saw a family who had one of all 4 of the big tubs of Quality Street, Roses, Heros and Celebrations. They're not even that nice any more.

They might have been putting them away for Christmas, but many won't be.

Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone. Who cares if people want to start buying early? People complain about this stuff every year like it’s some kind of surprise to start seeing Christmas stuff in August/September. Just ignore it, walk past it like you probably do with other stuff in the supermarket 🙄

I grocery shop on line, so don't care... scroll on past...

Had to tear my 3 year old away from the advent calendars in our local Poundland on Friday.

Because they didn't look remotely Christmassy, he just saw "CHOCOLAAAAATE" and had to have it. Spent a long time explaining that it was specifically chocolate for advent, not just every day.

Their seasonal aisle was half split as Halloween and Christmas.

If people want to spread the cost you can buy gifts and regular boxes of chocolates all year round. Buy cards in the January sales for next year (I have always done this - saves so much money).

There's no need to start with Christmas branding in September, plus buying mince pies now means by the time you get to December they'll be off anyway.

Plastic tubs of chocolates are essentials? Just shows how skewed our collective thinking has become if what screams Christmas is mass produced, palm oil filled, cheap chocolate with plastic wrapping in a plastic tub.

^^This!

Every year I love watching the religious (well they say they're not but it is a Christian thing so all in the same woo pigeonhole) friends spending all their money on any old crap just because it has a cute little robin or snowman on it. Loveable nutters!

I love it, bring it on!

Some people don't have the money to spend all in one go.

Some people just like Christmas and enjoy spending time with family.

Why does it matter? Just ignore it if you don't like it. You don't have to buy 'tat' either, and it's a bit nasty calling it that. Some people might actually like that stuff. Buy presents you think people would like, not just random stuff for the sake of it.

And ill buy however much plastic wrapped chocolate and food I want. I like having lots of food to pig out on over Christmas, plus it usually lasts til about February. Most food is covered in plastic anyway, it's no different at Christmas. And if we don't buy it, the stores will just throw it out to landfill anyway.

Beesandcheese Christmas is many different things though- for some it is a christian festival, for others a secular or pagan festival.
Most of us enjoy christmas as a celebration of life.

yes it is ridiculous has been this early for a couple of yhears now though because i commented on it before-i wouldnt be surprised if it gets earlier in a few years

That is utterly depressing and cashing in

That is utterly depressing and cashing in

Businesses in trying to make money shocker!

Ive got nothing against people spreading buying of presents over the year we just dont need to see it in the shops yet

we just dont need to see it in the shops yet

Yeah but you see I don’t assume shops are solely set up for my benefit. I assume there are people who want to purchase Christmas stuff already and like seeing it.

Yorkshirepudding wins post of the day

I love Christmas (in December, not September), but I'm always baffled by people's excitement about the arrival in the shops of bigger tins of the same shit chocolates that are also available for the rest of the year.

Yorkshirepudding wins post of the day grin

Agreed