What marks the start of Christmas for you?

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Depressingly, my friend think when she sees the Coca Cola ad for the first time that's the start....

For me, Advent Sunday marks the start of the winter, and then the Solstice is when we put our tree up (so yes sometimes only a few days before) and that's when Christmas begins. For about a week

Going up into the loft to pull out the early bits - advent calendars, door wreath, santa hats - and fixing up the outdoor lights. Attending a special carol service the first Sunday in December really starts it off.

We put our tree up after St Lucy's day on 13th December (when there is a Christmas market in our town). Although sometimes we wait a bit longer as I like to have it up until 6th January. I can't be doing with anything Christmassy in November!

December the 1st as that's my birthday and that's when my mum always put the tree up for my twin sister and I .

Why the coca cola ad though?

Strangely, mine started with my dad saying "Now it feels like christmas" when seeing that advert. For me its the music and feeling all sentimental with it that.

Though thew other way I feel like it's Christmas is when I hear Bruce Springsteens version of Santa Claus is comin' to town (another thing to do with my dad.. to say I'm NC with the bloke he has instilled a lot of "traditions" around Christmas for me)

I grew up in America so it can't start until after Thanksgiving.

It was the Coca Cola ad in my family too! DM messaged me this morning to say it was on

Not the CocaCola advert for me (but has anyone seen the new Cadburys Advert with the lorries decked out in numbers like an Advent Calender?? Pulled an few ideas from CocaCola there...)

Anyway: My Definitive Start of Christmas :
the first time I hear "Fairytale of New York" in the shops (but they usually play the sanitised version )

the decorations going up in Lakeside, and if DD and I go on a Friday night, the gorgeous lights in the dark, which leads on to..................

the shops getting soo blardy busy (we went yesterday, early Saturday morning) Primark was crammed, the carpark was a nightmare to leave and one of the ticket machine broken so queues ....it'll get worse.

making the cake, I have fruit to soak, need to get some Amaretto.

DS Birthday is the first week in December so we always go for a Toby Carvery (his choice)

Get the festive bedding on 1st Dec (its "winter" not Christmas until I add the Christmas fleeces.

DD asks me what my colour theme will be for the table, I don't know until I buy "The Thing" . This year The Thing is a red/green paisley table cover which I've bought some napkins and crackers to go with (same colour schemme)......and I bought a runner in Sainsburys with robins on it. That'll be used on Christmas Eve.

And the TV Times + highlighter pens here . Still looking out for it.

1st of December here. Anything else is JUST TOO MUCH BLOODY CHRISTMAS!

And in the soaps when one of the characters mentions "We'll have the Best Christmas ever" / "This Christmas we'll have the whole family over, be like old times" / "This year we'll have our own house/baby/ money"

you just know they're leading up to a shitstorm.
Even more because it's filmed in September and they're all pretending to freeze in their thick coats and fake snow.

First Saturday after Dec 8th. That's when I watch Elf whilst putting up my tree, and drink mulled wine and/or Bailey's hot chocolate.

Tv times Xmas edition coming out!

For me, Christmas starts at sunset on Christmas Eve.

For me it's a sensory thing - the first time you get that wonderful hint of winter in the evening air. Crisp, cold, winter wonderland air

It happened the other night - The next day I went out and bought a table top tree for my desk at work

1st December here too. That's when I allow myself to play carols and Christmas music in the car.

I've worked on Santa's grotto in a couple of BIG London shopping centres for a few years now. I was there last week. A bit early but that always does it for me. But I loooove Christmas

(I'm not an elf)

Not December, I hate that everything starts so early, I would love to take my kids to the big light switch on etc but they are in November and it's not bloody Christmas yet!! I feel it justs waters it all down as it seems to go on for ever and everyone is bored of it by the time Christmas actually comes.

I don't really get the coca cola ad hype either.

Church today was the "Stir up" post communion, so that tells me it is almost advent and that I need to make my Christmas pudding or buy one in M&S

Next Sunday will be the first advent candle, which marks the start of the run up to Christmas. Definitely no decorations yet though!

We'll probably put the tree up around the 16th, which is when the school breaks up and it is our office party.

Definitely not the Coca Cola advert or any other adverts. Christmas starts for me the evening school has broken up and we start watching the Box of Delights!

It's a gradual thing. The local Steiner school has an advent fair with a beautiful grotto, and that usually happens the weekend before Advent Sunday. That's when I first start feeling festive, and after that it creeps up gradually. The advent procession, advent calendars, elf on the shelf (I know, but I love the way we do it in our house), school fair, nativity play, carol singing, wrapping and posting presents, decorating the tree on the solstice...

I start planning Christmas in September to make sure that all the groups that want to use the church are in the diary rather than have a face off between two charities that want a carol concert on a specific date and have neglected to tell the vicar of their plans. If I'm organised I will have all the Christmas services that I am leading planned by Advent Sunday which means I can focus on December carol service and mince pie marathon.

Christmas for me starts with the Crib Service on Christmas Eve which is glorious organised chaos and then we do family stuff until Midnight Mass and a very large gin before a couple of hours sleep and Christmas morning services and visits to the hospital. Then sleeeeppppp.

Advent starts with the first advent Sunday, Advent wreath with first candle lit and we start getting some decorations out on the 1st of Dec.
Christmas starts on Christmas eve.

I'm in Ireland so the night of the late late toy show for us. It's when we put the tree up too! Roll on December 2nd

I'm going to Basel on Friday and I think the Christmassy vibe there will get me in the mood. I'm looking forward to sampling the mulled wine at the Christmas market

Coke advert for me too. Bit of a tradition for me and my brother, the race to see who see's it first!