Do you remenber when Christmas started on the 8th December?

irishgeo

i think the retro board is the best place to post this as i was shocked at Christmas stuff in the shops already.

I was bored of it when it came around last year because it lasted so long.

It really used to get going in December espically as the 8th was sorta the unofficial start of it.

Now it seems shops think its the 25th of November instead of a month later.

Bass.exe

It used to be that way.
Then it was Christmas started at 00:01 on November 1st.
Now... I saw Christmas stuff up before I saw Halloween stuff....
It's ridiculous.

Sarky

My parents are bastions of sanity holding fast against the tide of holly-wielding capitalism- They put the tree up no earlier than the 8th.

simu

Yup, all the country people used to come into Cork shopping for Christmas on the 8th of December, back in the days...

Rabies

Sarky wrote:

My parents are bastions of sanity holding fast against the tide of holly-wielding capitalism- They put the tree up no earlier than the 8th.

Same here, no tree or decorations go up until 8th Dec. Usually means time to start my christmas shopping.

Sarky

Only you go to the shops to find they've sold out and are now already stocked up for St. Patrick's day.

irishgeo

Sarky wrote:

Only you go to the shops to find they've sold out and are now already stocked up for St. Patrick's day.

rofl

Capt'n Midnight

then there is that town in Belgium that bans all references to christmass until two weeks beforehand. Some american santa got arrested there once

If you go far enough back there was little christmas 6th Jan - when the decorations came down. - Ruins it all when it's all dragged out.

Cabaal

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

If you go far enough back there was little christmas 6th Jan - when the decorations came down. - Ruins it all when it's all dragged out.

Agreed, its a joke, there's Halloween and Christmas directions up at the same time, wtf like?

TV has gone to ****en **** also, christmas adverts on before the 31st of Oct again wtf?
When they start showing christmas stuff in September I'm throwing the tv out the window!

Rabies

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

If you go far enough back there was little christmas 6th Jan - when the decorations came down. - Ruins it all when it's all dragged out.

Go back far enough? Your making me feel old now. That was always the tradition in our house and still is.
The tree goes up on 8th Dec and comes back down on little christmas.

woosaysdan

for the last month and a half or so there a shop in clonmel with a sign saying how many weeks are left to x-mas (and yes it is a toy shop) *MAD*

climaxer

I actually saw a house with the tree up and lights outside the house on Saturday :eek: - in fairness the house is fantastic but its just too early. I put the tree and decorations up usually the first Sunday in December. Becoming a bit of a tradition now.

What really annoys me though is the ads for family hampers for xmas 2005 that they show now. Please let us enjoy xmas 2004 first

Sleipnir

Christmas now lasts for 1/6th of a year so it normalises it for kids. It's just not a special 2 weeks anymore, it's an entire season.
How are kids supposed to get excited on Christmas eve when they've been preparing for it for about 2 months?
It was when Brown Thomas got rid of their traditional Christmas window and replaced it with a 'fashion' one that was the final straw for me.

I was talking to an owner of a shop who sells housey stuff like candle holders and things like that (you know the type), She was getting her shop ready for Christmas over the Halloween weekend not because she wanted to but because all the other shops were.
She said that she'd lose out if she didn't.

I just don't do it until December. Over the weekend my GF was asking what we should get out son this year and I told her "ask me in December"
I just can't do it for two months.

woosaysdan

and whats worse is the x-mas shops that are popping up all over the place and its not even x-mas ffs!!! tough i am guilty of singing x-mas carols in april *holds head down in shame

krinpit

Sleipnir wrote:

Over the weekend my GF was asking what we should get out son this year and I told her "ask me in December"

Good on you Sleipnir - it's a good attitude to have, but what if the shops are sold out of whatever you want to get him? Not your fault of course, it's the crazy boundries of the Christmas "Season".

I'm really starting to hate Christmas - I mean two months preperation for ONE day. We're all grown up in my house, so all the hype just kind of crashes once Christmas Morning arrives. Bah Humbug

woosaysdan

im looking forward to the turkey!!!

misswex

Yeah its madness, Pennys' had Christmas decorations in September!!!!!!!!!!!

We're the traditionalist too - decorations up on the 9th of Dec and down on the 6th of Jan.

Have to admit though, I have bought a few Christmas presents as I knew they would be gone if I waited until December.

climaxer

woosaysdan wrote:

im looking forward to the turkey!!!

Mmm don't forget the stuffing. I love stuffing - half my plate is covered in my Stepdad's delicious homemade stuffing. Also his turkey curry is yummy on St. Stephen's day.

I have to get my kids presents fairly early as they would be sold out. Remember the teletubbies frenzy a few years ago. They were like gold to some parents.

woosaysdan

ooh yeah the stuffing and ham and mash and veg and gravy uuummm *rubs belly ooh and the selection boxes!!! are they getting smaller or is it im getting bigger or both?

sanncoo

Rabies wrote:

Go back far enough? Your making me feel old now. That was always the tradition in our house and still is.
The tree goes up on 8th Dec and comes back down on little christmas.

Exact same in my parents house, Rabies! The fun has been taken out of Christmas since Ireland became commercialised! I'm all for moving fwd but it's all marketing. Soon we'll be seeing decorations in bloody August!

Kalina

I work in Dunnes Stores and first thing on the morning of the 1st of Novemeber they started to play the Christmas music. Frosty the f*****g snowman fisrt thing in the morning almost 2 months before Xmas is just going too far! 1st of December would be almost too early imo.

jor el

I worked in Dunnes in Waterford over the Christmas period a few years back. The music just did my head in. Hours of the same 12 songs repeating over and over till your head is fit to explode.

Can't stand any Christmas song since then.

Brown Thomas in Limerick had Christmas stuff up in September too. Bloody madness, over a month ahead of Haloween and they're on about Christmas. It's getting more ridiculous every year.

Of course there'll be red heart baloons up all over the shops come the 27th of December. Stupid Hallmark holidays :mad:

Bah humbug, etc.

is_that_so

Worked for Dunays once upon a time. They'd be making their Christmas lists in August !! Kills off the year really Had to give that job up. 8th of December as was said earlier was the traditional day the country folk( not just from Cork) came up to Dublin, it being a holy day as well . Mad day altogether.