To wonder why does Christmas start so early in the UK and are you happy with that

[TheFateofOphelia]

I was in John Lewis yesterday and a huge part of the ground floor was taken up with Christmas trees and decorations. My heart sank because, much as I enjoy the festive season, I want it to start mid Nov not end of August as it does in supermarkets.

Anyday now they'll be blasting out "Do they know it's Christmas." The what shall we do with Uncle Stanley on Christmas Day threads are popping up on MN. Do you like it starting in Autumn or will you join my pointless 'Let's keep Christmas in December' campaign?

The shops are merely pandering to an impatient society that demands instant gratification. They're full on with the lights and tinsel 3-4 months early, but it's all over well before New Year - the Christmas "season" is now just a day or two, instead of the traditional 12 days starting with 25 December and taking us through the darkest part of the year until 5/6 January. And then you get people racing to get their trees and decorations down on Boxing Day, having grown heartily sick of them as they've been up since November or earlier.

Capitalism.

That said, with the cost of living as it is I'm quite happy to spread the cost of Xmas across Sept-Dec wages.

Plus I bloody love Xmas so I'm up for it 😁

I do sometimes feel like it takes the shine off Halloween though, and I'm a big fan of spooky season.

I hate it because I love Christmas and it ruins it.

Christmas starts on 1st December in this house.
The fact that the hospitality industry and retailers start much, much earlier is their concern not mine.

Because there’s no Thanksgiving and Halloween isn’t such a big deal, and people need something to look forward to after summer ends which typically happens in September. I live in the US where Halloween is huge, we have warm weather through October in my city, then it’s Thanksgiving. I start thinking about Christmas from December 1st.

I turn the house into a grotto and even I’m
pissed off at all of he Christmas stuff. I tried to get some Halloween bits for my spooky grotto earlier in the week. There was barely anything anywhere - B&M had removed most stock (although I did pick up something that I wanted for 1/2 price).

The Range up here started putting things out in August ffs. And yes, it does help if you’re on a budget and want to spread the cost but whole aisles of the stuff when it’s 30+ degrees out (August!) is just nuts.

Let me have a chance to go silly on Halloween stuff first, please!

For pity's sake and for the umpteenth time:
The appearance of Christmas paraphernalia in shops is to give customers the option of staggering their Christmas shopping.

Chill @HelenaWaiting !!!

The appearance of Christmas stuff is to get people spending as much as possible as often as possible. We know that.

Nothing til Christmas Eve here. Then finishes 12 night.

I don’t like Christmas when it is Christmas, so just ignore it whatever time it shows up!

It doesn’t bother me. I start buying gifts in October if they’re things that need ordering, but other than that, I don’t really think about Xmas til November. I’d still happily have a look at the Xmas stuff in John Lewis now though, I don’t see it as a problem. Shops want to sell stuff…. Shocker!

And yet even with all the forward planning from the supermarkets , there will be urgent frantic posts "HELP! I need a turkey , I didn't order one in time"
"Help , I need xyz toy"

I know some people like to wait till the last minute (and probably a lot of these posts are thinly disguised adverts "Well Aldi had tonnes " ...... "You'll be able to pick up a fresh turkey at M&S there were loads last year"

I like the early arrival , I like doing my lists and buying things .

But I can equally ignore things .
I don't buy school uniform. In June you cannot move for it . "Back To School" right through the school holiday. No impact on me ,
Also the Meat/Fish products , I ignore unless I;m buying for DS , as no-one else eats it . And that takes up ahuge part of the supermarkets all year !

I like Christmas and find it irritating that it starts so early in the shops etc. I think it's because it's our only really big seasonal event, so people feel the need to drag it out. If we still had lots of smaller festivals and special days, we maybe wouldn't make Christmas quite so huge. There's Easter, but that's essentially just chocolate for most people. There's Halloween, I guess, but that's just for kids really. I think that, deep down, people want a bit of ritual, tradition and awe and wonder in their lives, and that's lacking for most (at least non-religious) people.

Yeah it's just so we'll all spend more. I hate it. Too early, feel burnt out from it all by December.
As for people spreading the cost, of what? Presents surely aren't christmas specific items, so don't need to come from the tinselly aisle? Much better to just budget and only buy what you actually can afford. How much are people buying that they must start 12 weeks in advance?

Couldn’t they put the money in a savings account instead

The whole "budgeting" thing is ridiculous. It is saving you nothing buying advent calendars in August and crackers in September. There is no price advantage to doing so, you spend the same amount overall. There is also the argument that people buy big tubs of Roses in August, eat them in September, replace, eat them again...

Many of the large supermarkets have christmas savings schemes where you load up a card through the year and they give you an incentive to save up. Pay £280 into your Asda account and they give you £15. Save £200 with Tesco and they give you £12.

There are also these nifty things called bank accounts where you can pay money in and keep it safe until you need it, and earn interest.

There are a whole host of reasons as to why people may want to start buying early, including disability. Far easier to shop when places are quieter, which is not the case as we approach December.

I start early so I can enjoy doing other things in December rather than ordering everything online (wondering if it’s going to be delivered), or being stuck in traffic or cheek to jowl with the hoards of other Christmas shoppers. I don’t spend anymore by starting to buy things early as I only buy what is required and fits in with the rough budget I have for everyone.

Not everyone has a savings account, putting the money aside in a low income family isn’t always possible.
If it is to the side, something will crop up, a lost coat, birthday party, when it's gone it's gone.
We're in a better financial situation now, I use to love making lists and marking them off each month, it gave me a bit of control over the situation, I still ended up broke by December.
I'll start later this year.
I will donate locally too.

I agree, November is early enough to think about Christmas

This. Having lived in the US for several years the separation of the holidays works
so much better and more enjoyable. Love the Halloween season in America.

That's nonsense though. If you've got a spare £5 to spend on physical things, then you've got the spare £5 to save. It's the same £5.

I heartily agree with OP. I went into John Lewis in the week and it was full-on Christmas.

I don’t understand those “everything done and dusted” posters who have all presents bought and wrapped already. So clinical. And doesn’t everything look tatty when you get it out in three months’ time?

I just smugly think of the money I’m not spending when I ignore the LOOK!!! SPEND!!!!!! nudging. Victory for me.

And don’t get me started on Black fucking Friday. I’m sure the prices are gradually inflated in advance, then reduced to normal, but I can’t be bothered to check - why should I? It’s all a massive con. I buy things as and when I need them, and sometimes not even then: I make do and mend.

The shops full of Christmas crap from late summer is one of the reasons I barely celebrate it any more. It is a meaningless money grabbing retail festival.

I don't need presents, I don't need tat made in China and I don't want to eat more food than normal and get fat. I am happy to see my family on any day of the year, I don't care if they have other plans in late December.

Bah humbug to the whole charade.

My first job, on 1972, was a management trainee with Sainsbury's. The first Christmas stock then, went on sale in September. But, we didn't sell the wide range of gifts etc as today, and the Christmas promotions were mainly home baking items, dried fruit etc for people making Christmas cakes and puddings. If customers didn't but them, the shops would not stock them so early. Easter eggs are often delivered in Christmas week, ready to go on sale straight after. It used to happen 50 years ago too.

I think that it is far too early to buy mince pies and i don't buy decorations every year. I refuse to put the tree up until December. I do get my presents early. I just like to post my presents to certain family members early so it is out out of the way.