When does the Christmas countdown start for you?

[MrsCK]

For me the first episode of the x factor signals nights starting to close in, blackberries on the bushes and the first countdown to Christmas.

When is it for you?

sept for me, once children back to school. we don't have a lot of shopping to do but i like to have it all sorted in Nov. then i can enjoy december without thinking about shopping

After bonfire night. I want to string people up who even mention the C word before at least Halloween.

It crosses my mind throughout the year, but I don't start planning stuff till the poncetastic on 24 September. I don't get the decorations out till mid December though...

"Same as toffeemoon. I think xmas is spoiled by spending half the year thinking about and planning it."

Exactly Nikki1978 Christmas starts for us when we get the advent calendar out of the loft. I might get a few presents in October/November, but anything before that is just ridiculous and enough to turn me off Christmas. People who want to stretch it out for several months just spoil it for me.

I always have it in my head that Christmas preps shouldn't start untill after Remeberance Sunday and that full on Chrsitmas celebrations don't happen till 1 Dec.

Don't worry MrsCK, I'd definitely agree with you. (Was pp earlier) once X factor starts it signals the start of autumn and count down time.

I do love Xmas though, so I'm happy to be cheery about it.

:)

Ahhh no real start but things that get me thinking:

When the DC go back to school and the shops start stocking up with Christmas items No No Too Early .
I start looking for Stocking Gifts and if I see things they'd like, I buy them.

Costco get their Christmas stock in about September

BBC1 used to have "Merlin" then "Dr Who"

The smell of bonfires and fireworks. Needing my gloves

The Lakeland Limited catalogue
Magazines - "Good Housekeeping" and "Woman & Home" Christmas issues

Hearing "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues

The urge to make a Christmas Cake

Bought my first Christmas present today to put away.

I like to do it in bits and pieces works for me!

About a fortnight after my birthday, which is in early November.

I am early November as well, but I don't start thinking about Christmas other than doing a spot of Christmas shopping. As the family is shrinking the number of people I buy for is getting smaller every year.

I've got a few stocking fillers already in the sales. Why not, while things are massively reduced rather than pay over the odds because its December?

When the DC break up for the Christmas holidays.

I only buy for dh and dcs. And dcs are teenagers so easy.
Don't do Christmas dinner.
So not much to do

I start getting 'wintery' and looking forward to autumn/winter when strictly starts - autumn and early winter are my favourite seasons by far.

Actually Christmassy starts on the 25th November, although i will do bits of shopping before then if I see something.

I shop and plan for christmas all year round as I don't have the money or time to just do everything in december. However middle of november is when I start listening to music and getting exctited. Don't decorate till december though as that is mine and dp's compromise.

I think after October half term.
They'll start doing Christmassy things at school, there'll be a nip of frost in the air. I might start thinking about what to buy then, making lists, I don't buy until December though, generally.

I don't want to think about it now! We haven't even had our summer holiday yet. And I'm hoping the hot weather will carry on through September.

You can't think about Christmas wearing shorts and a vest top. You have to be huddled cosily in a chunky knit jumper and fluffy slippers, hot chocolate in hand

I've bought the DC Christmas Trip ( to Harry Potter)

I'm looking for a ballet to take DD (our Mum and Daughter Tradition)

Once these are organised, paid for and out the way , it's one less stress .

Not till after DH's birthday on December 3rd

Christmas planning begins in earnest when I get my grubby mitts on the Christmas edition of Good Housekeeping.

Before then I soak fruit for Christmas cakes (a couple for relatives and a few for the school Christmas fete) at the end of September. I soak it for a couple of weeks and then bake the cakes in the week before the October half term - so technically I'm preparing for Christmas then.

My Christmas CD goes on in the car on 1st December and we put the tree up after DD1 gets home from Uni in the middle of December.

My DS is Dec 7th so we can't do anything (except the Advent Tree) until after this. Our tree goes up about the 14th .Decoratios usually the weekend before.

We take the DC out for a meal (Toby Carvery at DS request) so that's near enough a Christmas Meal out (I wouldn't like to do this for Christmas Day Dinner )

I've bought a chunky jumper Waffle - soft, raspberry pink, chunky knit . (Not wearing it at the moment though )

I might put the Christmas Bedding on 1st Dec .

mid October

After the excitement of Samhain (Halloween) and preferably late November.

We decorate a pre-Yule in late November/early December) (local tree-lighting party needing some kind of decor), then the proper stuff early-mid December (time off and weekends permitted). All must be done by 21 December.

Oooh! Christmas bedding! We don't even do that, but I really want to.

Keep wavering between naive red&white and something opulent...