Channel 5

Exactly PECS. My thoughts too.

I enjoy aspects of Christmas: the family time, cosiness, smell of pine, Christmas food, music and celebrating all that Christmas stands for though I am not a Christian.

I dislike the commercialism, the ubiquitous shop music, the waste and ecological damage wrapping paper, packaging & plastic toys create.

I could never give up Christmas as I love it (but don't go OTT with decs etc). However its far too early to start thinking about it -Im just not on the mood till December. I love carols but by the time the big day arrives Ive usually got fed up with them from overkill these days.

Oh sorry- Nodding was writing the same thing as me almost simultaneously. Snap!

In the OP it say the ads were for trips to Lapland. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that you should be expected to make your holiday arrangements a few months in advance, after all, from January you get the summer holiday ads wall-to-wall.

November maybe - but I personally reckon that 1st December is giving everyone plenty of time to get Xmas together.

Toys I absolutely agree with, but a trip to Lapland, if it's going to be for this coming Christmas, needs planning now if not earlier, so on that one I think you are being a tiny bit unreasonable.

Book a meal out on 'the day'.
It will be expensive, and probably not as nice as home cooked, but its another step, maybe?

First Sunday in advent until 12th Night for tree, decorations and celebrations.
Having given my 3 ACs substantial amounts of cash this year I am about to announce that gifts this year will be modest amounts of cash.
Pj's, stocking fillers and a little cash into the savings accounts of the wee ones.
Have cut right down on cards I wonder now what the next step should be.

And I think that Christmas should continue for the whole 12 days - none of this packing the decorations or trees away on 27 December or even on Boxing Day.

Totally agree with those who say that Christmas advertising shouldn't start before November - and I think that Christmas lights shouldn't be lit until the first Sunday in Advent. Children get their hopes up far too early and have 3 months or more to wait before the big day!
I don't know about Christmas cards - I use them to tell people that I'm still alive.

I never watch TV adverts so really do not have a clue about latest toys and must haves. When GC want something for a birthday gift they have to find a catalogue to show me.
I do believe that Christmas hype should not start before December.

I noticed Christmas cards in the charity shops I visited this week and I agree that the circus starts far too early. However, now I am retired and the DH made redundant six years before our pension begins I shall be buying presents as and when I see them to spread the cost. Last year I saved £60 using time limited vouchers to get significant amounts off really nice presents and some of those were bought months before that actual day.

Children cannot be rational about Christmas and should not be targeted. All children’s ads are really aimed at the parents and use ‘pester power’ which, firstly makes the kids materialistic and, secondly, is unfair on poorer parents.

I would quit the TV watching for books, games, play and story CDs.

Beginning of December is plenty of time for Christmas adverts.

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all. We seem to have to live our lives constantly in the fast lane instead of being able to stop and enjoy the moment.

I bet if you went into a lot of the big stores today, looking for some summer outfits to take on your ‘still’ summer holiday you will be met with coats, jumpers and woollens. Back to school clothing is now on sale before the poor kids have even broke up for the holidays, how depressing is that?

Halloween kind of gets shoehorned in quickly before bonfire night, so you could have pumpkins and fancy dress for sale next to Xmas cards/presents and the firework stalls. Xmas trees and decorations are put up in November, what a long wait today’s kids have before Santa finally turns up. Then decorations can be down again by Boxing Day , what happened to the 12 days of Xmas?

Then we have Valentines cards jostling for space amongst the Easter eggs!

Why can’t we put everything back to the months it says on the calanders? Life was much more enjoyable and there was always something to look forward to, instead of it being just one vast commercial free for all.

I have a friend who absolutely loves Christmas.
She decorates her whole bungalow, has lights flashing, singing Santas -the whole kit and kaboodle.
I wish I could drum up that much enthusiasm for anything, let alone for Christmas!

Sorry if I upset anyone but I wish it could be Christmas everyday. Its the only time of year my family are all together. The children know they cant have everything and have been brought up to appreciate what they do get. Sorry to disagree with everyone but I love it all, even the commercialism. It doesnt take away the real meaning of Christmas for me.

Mabon1 sorry if i offended you. I just spelt christmas as xmas to be quicker when typing

The Bodach and I go away every Christmas, as I really dislike all the hype and urging you to buy. I stopped cards and presents long ago, and give money to our grandchildren.Our children were happy not to have to buy us gifts. I do buy a gift for my friend, but that’s no hardship, as I just buy something I’d like for myself! I’m now happy to be without the hassle of looking for gifts for people, and escaping to the sun where it’s very low key compared to here.
And, incidentally, Xmas is quite acceptable!

Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. ... The "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, which in English is "Christ". The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass.

I received an email on 14 August from a garden centre informing me that booking is now open to see Santa!

I totally agree about Christmas stuff being too early in the shops, but at the risk of getting told off, I`m just about to order a new Christmas tree, before the choice gets too limited. Ours packed up just as last Christmas was over, and the last time it happened, hubby and I went shopping for a new one in November, and the ones left were rubbish. I won`t be doing any Christmas shopping for quite a while yet though.

Ridiculous, isn't it? I believe that there's a pub nearby that has a Christmas tree up already which is being used to advertise meals for the festive season. A disgruntled customer walked in, saw it and walked straight back out again, taking their custom elsewhere.

I was in Waitrose back in July looking at magazines when a lady suddenly grabbed me and shrieked "Look at this!!!" "This" was a Christmas magazine! The schools hadn't even broken up!

I have to agree, it is disgusting to target children in August about Christmas... and they are targeting children in order to get sales from pester power, which is why supermarkets used to display sweets and chocolate at the till because pester power works. Most don't now due to parent power.
It's not just toys and Christmas cards, I was in Hobbycraft at the beginning of June and I do mean the beginning.... they had four full ranges of Christmas papercrafting stuff out and I have emailed Hobbycraft, they haven't replied... I told the staff how fed up about it I was and their reply was "Well, papercrafters like to get their cards done early." I am a papercrafter and I don't start mine until October, even my abroad cards. I objected and said that they had lost quite a bit in sales as I would have birthday money to spend and there was nothing new for me to buy except Christmas stuff and I objected to buying Christmas stuff before my birthday had even happened which is at the end of June. Selling Christmas stuff nearly seven months before the day is totally unreasonable and just downright greedy.

The only good thing I could see for Halloween being imported from the USA and becoming big here was that Christmas advertising would be put back a bit. But it seems shops just put away a lot of the stuff we really need to buy and fill the shelves with both!