AIBU to think this is ridiculous?

Christmas appears to be getting earlier and earlier!!!
There's so much pressure to get things right
Roll on 1 January

Halloween, or Samhain is a big thing in our household. We celebrate our ancestors and it is in effect our new year being the start of the pagan year so I have been frantically hunting for decorations. Yule tree goes up a week before and is down and out the door by January 1st. Christmas stuff is out way too early, there's even Christmas films on already!

Witzend, trick or treat is actually of Scottish roots along with the tumshee lantern. A tumshee being a turnip or suede. This has changed to a pumpkin in the US.

I dont think you are being unreasonable Shelagh, it’s way too soon. Imo.
Early Dec is about right.

Yes, I did know that Halloween is not an American import, and the trad. lanterns were turnips or swedes. (A lot harder to carve, though!).
It's just that it's so much more commercialised now, with all the tat in the shops. We did 'do' Halloween when I was small, but it was much more low key. Bonfire Night was the big one. I dare say Halloween was always a bigger thing in Scotland.

A proper Christmas in times gone by for those who could meant 12 full days of feasting and lavish celebrations, until at least 6 January. The norm now for a lot of people seems to be to have a long period of preparation, then to clear all traces away as soon as Christmas Day is done. There are always a lot of “back to normal” FB posts on Boxing Day.

Maggie, I'm not to sure which times gone by you mean. I think the protracted celebration is a relatively new thing. My mother tells me her father worked on Christmas Day ( ship yards)

Personally I've had enough already.

A bit further back than that, oldbatty. I’m just re-reading Wolf Hall.

Yes, things were much more austere in the recent past. Though my dad did at least get the one day off - Christmas Day. He was a miner and the pit ponies were brought up just for the one day too.

oldbatty, in Scotland, in the 1940s, my dad also went off to work on Christmas morning, but they all came back home in the early afternoon. He had the day off on Hogmanay when he stocked up with bottles and New Year's day for recovery time! I don't remember when Scots began to make a big thing of Christmas, though I suspect commercial influences were at work.

How interesting. I guess the thing in the Wolf Hall era was it was a big contrast to everyday life. Thats why I cant stand it.......all year long we are stuffing our faces so Christmas is just more of the same.

That’d be it, oldbatty. As well as all coming together for warmth and light in the dark Winter. It seems the wealthy were expected to provide hospitality for the poor during the 12 days, so it would really have been something to look forward to.

Interesting thread. I started baking mince pies last Sunday, 5 dozen, but need to do another 10 to freeze before Christmas. They won't get eaten much before then but I don't want the hassle too near the holiday and need to distribute to all who ask for them, more each year. Friends, boss, dil's etc. As to the above comments, yes, in medieval times especially Xmas was a 12 day affair. All the left over meat including the horrible bit like ears (called the humbles), were baked in pies and given to the poor on the 12th day. That became a well used saying 'eating humble pie'.

I wish my freezer was big enough to make mince pies in advance! I usually make the first 2 dozen batch on 1st December - with the first carols playing and preferably some mulled wine on the go.

My friend puts up her Christmas decorations on Dec 1st. They really give me the WILLIES! I don't really know why because I love having all the family together the rest of the year but the thought of Christmas with all that food, that I really don't like, all that STUFF in the shops and mournful carols playing incessantly in the background really make me feel glum! Once it's here it's great but then I'm really glad to get the decorations down and be able to look forward to Spring!