Christmas Too Early?

[sempervirilis]

Attending a well-known pub /carvery chain yesterday it was found to be replete with decorated Christmas trees. Seeing that it is only half term week of the autumn term I considered this way too early; it also being before Bonfire Night and Remembrance Day. To add to this, the mild autumn with dahlias still flowering their heads off in the garden, there having been on frost yet, gives the impression it is still late summer.

It is interesting to note that technically Christmas does not start until Christmas Eve and that we have yet to embark on the season of Advent, which I much enjoy. When I was a child many would not have erected their Christmas decorations until December the 24th; in modern times we have been so restrained once, due to the builders being in the home, but somehow the imposed control did add to the sense of occasion when we did put up the decorations.

Are there any others Mumsnet readers who say “hints of Christmas” – not until Advent please?

Of course it is.
Xmas very low key in our house...we enjoy but don't make a song and dance about it. It is one day.

I think December onwards is acceptable and festive.

I find it depressing to have the hard consumer sell on buying food and gifts before that.

1st of December is Christmas in my house

Often Carverys and things have decorations early to sell the idea of having Christmas lunch there... Our local one had a little Christmas table and booking info in August!

I agree in some respects, id be stressed if I personally waited that long for own preparations but I don't want to see decorations out until the last weeks of Nov at the earliest.

I don't mind the idea of people preparing for Christmas early (what with lots of people working right up to Christmas, and the expense of Christmas I think it makes sense to start early with everything).

That said, Christmas doesn't start in our house until Dec 01st or The Late Late Toy Show. The first of those to happen signals the start of Christmas in our house, and all festivities are fair game after that.

That said, the tree won't go up until 2 weeks before Christmas. I never knew anybody growing up who waited until Christmas Eve. We would have been one of the last to put up a tree, and at that it was always a week before Christmas.

The toy show is on Nov 28th this year, so that'll be the start of Christmas for us.

It's probably due to them having early bookings for Christmas parties, some company's have them in November as December it too busy?

Thanks Squigglegirl for LLToyShow info!

Like others,I do prep early but decorations wait untill mid Dec and celebrating until Dec too (we do advent calendar and start reading Christmas books at start Dec).

I like ripping for Xmas early (and you have to do the pudding before December anyway) but I hate having decs in the shops before December. The dc have a tree in their room from 1st December but we never decorate the rest of the house until the school hols start (around 20th). We are always the last to put stuff up but then it was the same when I was growing up in the 70s and my mum had the same rule. We are always the last to take stuff down as well as I keep stuff up until Twelfth Night.

There's a decorated Christmas tree in my way home from work now. Just saw it this week.

I don't mind. I work and like to have some things bougt and planned early. Some christmas foods are on special offer from now onwards so ican stock the freezer andspread the cost.

I will be entertaining a lot over christmas so I am already planning for that, as well as organising flight & theatre tickets, hotels for relatives etc.