I don't believe it!

I gave up the decorations, tree and card sending decades ago (except three cards for very elderly relatives - now gone).

It's really liberating being able to almost ignore it. I'm a guest rather than host on the day itself - and it's for the kids, after all. I just get their presents and I'm done!

TerriBull

I don't get that "I like to prepare for Christmas early", anyone can do that without all the tinsel being shoved in our faces. Presents can be bought anywhere, anytime, summer sales for example! if you have something for someone in mind

Christmas presents are essentially for children, I tend to leave that until quite late, as desires tend to flip flop during the year, what they want straight after last Christmas could be entirely different almost a year later. It's not that I don't like celebrating Christmas, I do, but I prefer the toned down European way of doing things, over here it's so cranked up in an that awful crazed manic way, hate it! I also associate it with the depths of winter, which it is of course, stemming from the Winter Solstice. However, incongruous as we are having a heatwave we so often get an Indian Summer so personally I'm enjoying that right now, tinsel, Father Christmas, mince pies can all sod off come back later please!

I don't get that "I like to prepare for Christmas early", anyone can do that without all the tinsel being shoved in our faces. Presents can be bought anywhere, anytime, summer sales for example! if you have something for someone in mind

Precisely!

That display - although I can't see anything in much detail - looks like land-fill for the very near future. There may be one or two practical / nice and well-made items, but most of it looks like the usual plastic Christmas tat. Just the same old same old commercial exploitation of what appears like an ever-increasing frenzied need to celebrate one day.

Though to be fair, lots of people extend the holiday period over many days to take advantage of the opportunity to see family and friends... and to "chill" if they've been working full time.

I'm slightly dreading that moment when supermarket staff all don their hats and reindeer antlers and hum along to the on-the-loop Christmas 'muzac' as they fill up the shelves. "Have-yourself-a-very-merry-Christmas" looms again...

Ive never celebrated christmas since 1979. Its nice to be a spectator.

I love my crazy December - like you lixy I have birthdays that month. DH is on 4th, DD2 on 18th and DS is 29th. I'm just before in mid November and DD1 is just after in mid January! It's a big birthday for DH this year as well. Just as well I work best under pressure as we're also involved in Santa's visit and I direct the panto.

I saw in a Very Large M&S, a selection of Christmas decorations last week. Probably will get bigger week by week.

I love it.

Just received my advent candle yesterday ☺️

I don't get that "I like to prepare for Christmas early", anyone can do that without all the tinsel being shoved in our faces. Presents can be bought anywhere, anytime, summer sales for example! if you have something for someone in mind

Christmas presents are essentially for children, I tend to leave that until quite late, as desires tend to flip flop during the year, what they want straight after last Christmas could be entirely different almost a year later. It's not that I don't like celebrating Christmas, I do, but I prefer the toned down European way of doing things, over here it's so cranked up in an that awful crazed manic way, hate it! I also associate it with the depths of winter, which it is of course, stemming from the Winter Solstice. However, incongruous as we are having a heatwave we so often get an Indian Summer so personally I'm enjoying that right now, tinsel, Father Christmas, mince pies can all sod off come back later please!

I start early for simply economic reasons, spreading the cost.

Same here Katek - DD's birthday is mid-December so Christmas starts on Christmas Eve for us.

The decorations in the shops look very odd when I'm wearing Tshirt and shorts - it just doesn't feel right at all!

Easter eggs on Boxing day and hot cross buns all the year round aren't 'right' either for me. I like to have special things as appropriate through the year. (old fuddy duddy!)

A brand new Home Bargains has opened recently near me and it is where I saw a similar display last week. I went round a corner and thought "OH NO" and made a hasty retreat.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202309/medium-981768-22a71d8b-13e5-4503-a2c1-5ba95f99644b.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202309/medium-857408-img-2844.jpeg

It was Home Bargains yesterday annsixty. Our Christmas doesn't start until second week in December after Santa has toured the village giving selection boxes to the children and our annual village panto is over. Keep the magic!

I don't like that either!

Easter eggs on Boxing Day? Same difference!

Summer came back this week after two months of dire weather and I am absolutely not interested in Christmas now. To me it is wishing your life away, I actually find it depressing, nothing positive about it at all.

Our local Range is full of them.

Is that the Range OP?
I saw they had them in August.

I'm with you all the way OP! I yearn for Christmases of the past, all the build up and stress for two friggin' days, one for some people and the meaning of Christmas just lost in a giant spending fest, start all that beginning of December at least!

It's still summer here in the south east thanks to the current hot spell

Bah humbug far too early

I love it I start Christmas shopping in September!

It helps people to budget.

Christmas decorations have been on sale in our local Home Bargains since the beginning of August. Wilko's have also been selling them.