Does having Christmas stuff in the shops for 4 months of the year cause Christmas to be a letdown

[Fiis]

I think it does. Those tubs of inferior chocolate like Roses, are not Christmasy as places with a moderate Muslim population have them on sale for Eid.

Visited 5 or 6 European countries in Sept and Oct and their shops had nothing! These countries celebrate Christmas.

If these countries are able not to have Christmas crap in the shops in Sept. Why can’t the UK?

the shops don’t do this because of Muslims, they do it to make more money

I live in Spain and the earliest Ive seen Christmas bits for sale in our local supermarket is the last week in November.

I think that there is something fundamentally unhealthy about having a single "magical" day that we build up to in a frenzy and then nothing else is seen as worthwhile for the rest of the year. That way lies madness, over consumption, a massive post event let down and hysteria over which grandparents get Christmas Day.

After too many Januarys that have left me depressed to the point of wondering if I should see my GP I've realised that I can't do secular capitalist Christmas. Personally I've decided to cut back on spending time in shops that want me to rush into the Christmas season months ahead.

I can't wait to make this the best Christmas possible for my son he will nearlly be 2, I've already booked the polar express experience and bought loads of decorations. Last year he was too young and really sick. I want to make it extra special for him and I know he will love all the lights and decorations. I love Christmas, and seeing all of the decorations in shops. We're all different, I know a few people the same as me I can't explain but it just makes me so happy so that's who they cater to 🤣

I love Christmas and my enjoyment of it is not affected by the stuff in the shops as autumn is my favourite season (I’ve no interest in Halloween or bonfire night).

I do see the whole autumn season as the lead up to Christmas, it’s my longest holiday time of the year and I take the whole two weeks off.

Why can’t shops in the UK do this???

My family hasn’t done presents for at least 20 years now. We don’t miss it.

People should not get stressed and waste money and time for stuff that people don’t want or need. People buy stuff like nuts in shells ‘because it’s Christmas’. Nobody eats them as taste awful.

People need to step away from copying SM and competing with their friends on who has the blingiest decs. Being yourself is nicer

At least you don’t have to work in retail and have people moaning about Christmas stock to you at least twenty times a day. We hate it too but have no say over when it goes out on the shop floor.

I think that shop bought tat has become a bit of an opium for the masses. Like I can't afford any better than a flatshare despite pushing 40 but I can afford to buy another seasonal ornament.

Said it before on another thread, I'm not moved by the argument that these shops absolutely have to stock Christmas tat for months at a time because they couldn't turn over all their sales in a shorter period. We don't need to be buying all of this. We managed to celebrate Christmas just fine without it being for sale in August.

I don't go to the shops that often so it doesn't really bother me, what winds me up more is that because things are out early, by the time I am ready to do Christmas shopping (November time) things are sold out.

We've also already missed booking Father Christmas at the local place near us because apparently they release the tickets in August!

I buy less clothes for shops being out of season. I want to buy what I need now, not hoping I don't waste money on blindly guessing what I might need in the future (remembers the enthusuastic buying 6-9m clothes debacle- they ended up out of season as his rate of growth changed)

One year we had a holiday booked for October. With a some weeks to go with the weather still mild, I realised that between 5 summers of pregnancy/ BFing or just generally lousy weather, I needed some summer clothes that fitted, and could only get absolute dregs on final discount hanging sadly at the end of the racks, because everything else was thick woolly jumpers.

Well, it's sad when it is all ripped down on boxing day. They are so keen to race to the next marketing opportunity, it makes me feel that that is all they are interested in.

As shops that is all they’re interested in - parting people from their money in whatever way they can. It’s literally the reason they exist.

Back to school stuff is July is perfectly reasonable. Scottish children return mid August!

Yes and then whipping them down on Boxing Day because,"it's all over innit" and they're pissed off with seeing them!

I think so. I used to live somewhere where nothing Christmassy came into the shops until the beginning of December. I loved it, it was lovely heading into town and feeling like everything had transformed and it made December feel like such a special month.

This! I went to the shops last weekend to buy stuff for my holiday and I couldn’t find anything. When I asked the shop assistant looked surprised like oh that’s all gone now it’s all autumn / Christmas stuff. It’s AUGUST 😫

So save up, put the money aside. I think it's more fun to do that ..you get to have a big shopping splurge in December rather than counting the pennies for four months and constantly deciding if this or that is enough. I also think you end up spending more of you start early because you almost forget you've already bought X presents and see more things.

Not at all. I like it and able to maintain my excitement for 4 months!

I agree. The big Tesco near me, if you go in on Christmas Eve they're ripping everything down and putting out pastel coloured laundry baskets and mops in the seasonal aisle. It's utterly depressing.

Then they should grow up and learn to adult FFS. As I said, I think shops do it because it makes you spend more. You buy some gifts in October and then you see more things in Nov, Dec, you forget about the pile you've stashed under the bed. If people put the money aside instead and went out a couple of weekends in a row they'd be less likely to do that. People getting into ridiculous debt, kids expecting hundreds of pounds if not thousands spent, it's awful. I'm not a Grinch and I love Christmas and my kids when little had a "pile" but never more than about 8-10 max. When they were little they'd be overwhelmed by more plus they get several things from three sets of grandparents, aunties etc.

I agree. I enjoy the actual Christmas period but the relentless build-up is way too much and has become an consumerist/advertising juggernaut.

The solution would be a pact not to buy them until Dec. They are there because people buy them.

Just ignore it. The shops wouldn't put them out if nobody bought them. Here in Germany it's already starting too - my colleague posted a picture of Christmas goods in her local supermarket. Usually it starts here as soon as Oktoberfest is over. 🙄

I like getting all my presents, food ordered, activities booked well in advance of December so I can enjoy it without anything to do or last minute rushing around.

I usually have almost everything wrapped and ready to go by December. We spend December doing lots of family activities from little things like hot chocolate and Christmas movies or bigger organised things like a trip to London to see the Christmas lights. I can enjoy them all without having any extra chores.