I often have to remind myself when I am strolling through town, that it is actually only October and not quite Christmas Day yet! The great abundance of Christmas advertising and Christmas products flooding our shelves seems to be getting earlier and earlier every year. In fact, some shops actually sell Christmas products all year round! But, how soon is too soon for the festive season to really get going?

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Christmas and all its festivities but as soon as the summer sun disappears and the days start getting shorter, it automatically seems to be Christmas.

I have to admit, I was very tempted to watch The Grinch when it popped up on my Netflix recommendations the other day. However, I managed to restrain myself, so that I could look forward to watching it slightly closer to Christmas day!

I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with starting Christmas early! Christmas can be a very stressful time for families and there seems to be a never-ending list of things to get done so therefore, the Christmas creep is just allowing people to get more prepared and reduce that stress. However, with the rise of commercialism, there are concerns that Christmas is becoming way too material and taking away from some of the traditional values of Christmas.

Christmas is a time of great joy and bringing families together, but retailers are increasingly impeding on these values and in turn, creating a much more material culture. The premature advertising and Christmas selling can be seen as becoming irresistible and people can’t help themselves, thus picking up that cute Christmas jumper that will definitely only be worn once! 

In the current economic uncertainty and with many retailers really struggling, it is not surprising that these retailers are choosing to start their Christmas sales as early as possible. For many, Christmas sales are crucial for their survival and with many shoppers choosing to do most of their spending online, staying away from busy towns and shops, there is a worry that these businesses will suffer this Christmas season especially.

So, is there really a major problem with Christmas coming earlier? I guess that’s up to you to decide, but despite the shops filling their festive shelves I still manage to leave all my Christmas shopping to the last minute! This year has been extremely tough, but what better way to put a smile on people’s faces after a challenging year than with a bit of Christmas cheer!

Header image credit: The Independent