Why does the buildup to Christmas start earlier every year?

Ubbquittious

Do the shops have anything to gain by being the first to bring out the Christmas stuff?

At this point only March,April,May,June,July are relatively Christmas-free but those months are also slowly being eaten into and a thicker level of "background Christmas" persists year round. At the same time you have the Mozzies and some of the atheists being anti-Christmas, shops staying open and taking away from emphasis on the day itself. I reckon between this and people being told most of the year to consumerise for Christmas they'll eventually kill the goose that lays the golden egg and the feastday itself will fade into obscurity and by the time this happens I'll actually welcome it because I'll be blue in the face from hearing about Christmas

valoren

Only 130 sleeps to go!!!!

De Bhál

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Do the shops have anything to gain by being the first to bring out the Christmas stuff?

At this point only March,April,May,June,July are relatively Christmas-free but those months are also slowly being eaten into and a thicker level of "background Christmas" persists year round. At the same time you have the Mozzies and some of the atheists being anti-Christmas, shops staying open and taking away from emphasis on the day itself. I reckon between this and people being told most of the year to consumerise for Christmas they'll eventually kill the goose that lays the golden egg and the feastday itself will fade into obscurity and by the time this happens I'll actually welcome it because I'll be blue in the face from hearing about Christmas

You're not helping matters

Are Am Eye

Ubbquittious wrote: »

why does christmas start earlier and earlier every year

Each year Santa Clause's spys are telling him you've been even more good than the previous year.

SEPT 23 1989

there should be no mention of it until after Guy Fawkes night

_Roz_

It's the same with everything. I saw Easter Eggs in Tesco in January of this year. It's chocolate. It's EFFING CHOCOLATE. STOP. Cracks me up. I once asked a Tesco employee friend why it's put out so early. His answer? "Because people buy it."

seamus

It doesn't. It's all in your head.

What actually happens is that as you get older, you are less aware of the passage of time; you're busy, you're better able to disengage your brain and shut down instead of getting bored.

As a result, every year the Xmas rush sneaks up on you just a little bit faster than you expected. As a child, it felt like Xmas would never come. As an old fogey, it feels like Xmas starts earlier every year.

It doesn't.

Kimbot

Ubbquittious wrote: »

I'll be blue in the face from hearing about Christmas

Well you are the one that brought it up in fairness, it was out of my mind until I read this post.

NIMAN

I hadn't thought of Xmas until you started this thread.

Ubbquittious

seamus wrote: »

It doesn't. It's all in your head.

What actually happens is that as you get older, you are less aware of the passage of time; you're busy, you're better able to disengage your brain and shut down instead of getting bored.

As a result, every year the Xmas rush sneaks up on you just a little bit faster than you expected. As a child, it felt like Xmas would never come. As an old fogey, it feels like Xmas starts earlier every year.

It doesn't.

I notice the month it starts in seems to keep getting earlier. Hearing about Christmas in August seems odd to me compared to what it was like in the 90's. At one time people were outraged to hear about Christmas in October, then September, now it's after creeping way back into August.

Beasty

Bah Humbug!!

Guy:Incognito

The build up should be continuous imo. Hit the ground running in the 26th December.

entropi

It should only be talked about, advertised on TV, or shops should begin being decorated after Hallowe'en. And a law enacted to make that a reality.

corner of hells

It's to fcuk with small kids heads.Santa talk and they havnt even returned to school.

Imagine being a primary school teacher and the kids are talking about Santa.

Anyway Jingle bells Jingle bells , jingle all the way.......

Noveight

I saw Halloween decorations for sale in Dunnes stores, Ennis yesterday. Might be raining a lot but it's still summer ffs!

I think Christmas should run from October to March. I love it.

The_Valeyard

Noveight wrote: »

I saw Halloween decorations for sale in Dunnes stores, Ennis yesterday. Might be raining a lot but it's still summer ffs!

It's autumn.



*runs away

freshpopcorn

I started a similar thread Yesterday but it was closed because it's to early to talk about Christmas on Boards.
Well to answer you question.
There is a demand. People who really love the Christmas season will go to Brown Thomas in the first few day of the Christmas shop opening and buy a few bits and pieces. They've being doing it for a few years now and if it wasn't successful they wouldn't bother.
Another reason is shops(Especially supermarkets) are a lot bigger and they have sections dedicated to seasonal stock be it Easter, Summer, Back to school or Christmas. Shops want to make as money as possible. There not going to leave shelves empty and Halloween stock is limited enough.
If the shops did go down the route of only bringing thing in the 1st of December. People couldn't spread the cost. The shops would also be a nightmare all together. The demand for retail goods have grown so much in the past few years.
Christmas is a very important time to retail. It helps to keep them open for the rest of the year. When seasonal jobs for Christmas are advertised in September for people to start work at the end of September/start of October people don't seem to mind this.
Also, it's very easy to avoid Christmas for the next few weeks with kids. It's not advertised on the Radio/TV until November. Avoid bringing your kids to Brown Thomas and don't talk to them about it.

SEANoftheDEAD

Noveight wrote: »

I saw Halloween decorations for sale in Dunnes stores, Ennis yesterday. Might be raining a lot but it's still summer ffs!

August, September, October - Autumn
(At which Halloween is the last day of this season. So it's understandable)
November, December, January - Winter
Feburary, March, April - Spring
May, June, July - Summer

Sam Kade

To get fools to part with their money.

freshpopcorn

PS OP,
It has being starting at about this time for the last ten years or so!

Noveight

SEANoftheDEAD wrote: »

August, September, October - Autumn
(At which Halloween is the last day of this season. So it's understandable)
November, December, January - Winter
Feburary, March, April - Spring
May, June, July - Summer

The_Valeyard wrote: »

It's autumn.



*runs away

You're actually right, but I ain't buying it!

LordSutch

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Why does the buildup to Christmas start earlier every year?

...if you visit the Christmas forum it never ends!

Wall to wall Christmas all year round.

For me Christmas starts in December & ends on the 6th of January. I don't let the retailers dictate when it starts.

Mrs OBumble

Noveight wrote: »

I saw Halloween decorations for sale in Dunnes stores, Ennis yesterday. Might be raining a lot but it's still summer ffs!

You think that's bad ... I saw hot cross buns in Dunnes Galway!

freshpopcorn

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

You think that's bad ... I saw hot cross buns in Dunnes Galway!

They seem to be on sale all year round now!

caniask86

Anything Christmasy should be banned before Halloween in my opinion.

andekwarhola

Does this include whinging threads about it?

freshpopcorn

caniask86 wrote: »

Anything Christmasy should be banned before Halloween in my opinion.

What about all the seasonal workers that are taken on in October?
What about people trying to spread the cost?

freshpopcorn

andekwarhola wrote: »

Does this include whinging threads about it?

I started a positive thread yesterday and it was closed because the mods don't want Christmas threads!
I think the people who whinge about this do people like me(Who loves this) a big favor. They make people aware of the Christmas shops being open with their Facebook posts and they let everybody know the Christmas department is open. This ensures that the shops make money and they'll do it again next year.

LordSutch

freshpopcorn wrote: »

What about all the seasonal workers that are taken on in October?
What about people trying to spread the cost?

Christmas is in December, and anything to do with Christmas has traditionally been kept back until after Halloween!

That is, until recent years

leahyl

In that case there should be no advertising for summer or selling summer clothes, or selling barbecues etc. until at least mid June. I don't get why people get so annoyed about this - just ignore it if you don't wanna hear about it and there's no obligation for you to go into Brown Thomas Christmas shop or wherever if you don't want to.

freshpopcorn

LordSutch wrote: »

Christmas is in December, and anything to do with Christmas has traditionally been kept back until after Halloween!

That is, until recent years

Times change, for the better sometimes.

To answer your question seriously. People just seem to have a higher expectation when it comes to Christmas now a days. Every house on road has all their windows decorated(A few has outside lights) a decade ago I think we were the only one's. Every element of it has changed. more decorations. food, presents, etc. My mother would have being a traditional December shopper but with the amount of stuff that we get now.(We couldn't do it all in December)

LordSutch

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Times change, for the better sometimes.

To answer your question seriously. People just seem to have a higher expectation when it comes to Christmas now a days. Every element of it has changed. more decorations. food, presents, etc. My mother would have being a traditional December shopper but with the amount of stuff that we get now.(We couldn't do it all in December)

Times only change only if you let them change.

We stick rigidly to the Christian calendar, so we just don't do Christmas in September, October, or November.

suicide_circus

freshpopcorn

LordSutch wrote: »

Times only change only if you let them change.

We stick rigidly to the Christian calendar, so we just don't do Christmas in September, October, or November.

So, you don't go to mass or advent ceremonies that fall in November?
Or watch the Toy Show?
Or even buy a tub of sweets/tin of biscuits that are on special offer?

LordSutch

Advent is not Christmas.

freshpopcorn

LordSutch wrote: »

Advent is not Christmas.

So, lets say you planned to give a family member a Christmas present that cost €200 in December but you could purchase it in October/November for €100. I take it you wouldn't purchase it?

andekwarhola

Early Christmas buildup at least also provides an invaluable opportunity for the usual bores to wheel out their hoary student union chestnuts about 'consumerism' , 'forced jollity' and capitalism.

Solomon Pleasant

I think the fundamental reason behind the increasingly early annual fixation with Christmas is ultimately the increase in consumption.

It's highly likely that we spend more on Christmas on a near annual basis, especially as we are no longer in a deep recession and are experiencing positive economic growth. Corporations and the media promote it earlier and earlier every year to encourage our increase in spending - and it works.

Personally, the whole thing has become tiresome and a bit of a charade. It's still a beautiful time of year but it has become excessively materialistic in nature.

jesus_thats_gre

In most shops, it's appears to boil down to seasonal shelf space.

The Christmas section becomes the Valentine section, which becomes the Easter Egg section, which might become the gardening section, which becomes the Halloween section...

When I used to work in a Crazy Prices/Quinnsworth back in the day, shelving space wasn't really managed that way. In retrospect, it sort of makes sense.

Hollister11

It's not getting earlier each YEAR, August is the usual starting month.

Also, who cares. It's brilliant.

entropi

freshpopcorn wrote: »

So, lets say you planned to give a family member a Christmas present that cost €200 in December but you could purchase it in October/November for €100. I take it you wouldn't purchase it?

I'd buy it. Christmas is a bullshít holiday stolen from Paganism anyway to help the conversion rate from being supposed "heathens", to good natured catholics. Capitalism doesn't care for religion, only economics.

thesimpsons

I can remember my mother buying our back to school books in august and all the Christmas annuals would be on sale beside them. That was back in the early 70s. I think people just like to whinge more about it now 😲

Badly Drunk Boy

Beasty wrote: »

Bah Humbug!!

I actually did a home-made version of this years ago, which I had on my desk in work leading up to Christmas (for Christmassy people). I didn't know you could buy them like this.

team_actimel

People counting down and wishing their lives away..it's sad really.

LordSutch

Christmas should be BANNED > before Halloween.

BrokenArrows

Got a big thick Christmas magazine through the post today.

freshpopcorn

LordSutch wrote: »

Christmas should be BANNED > before Halloween.

What about all those seasonal jobs that you'd take away from people. Shame on you!

Mutant z

August seems to be the time when some shops start to put up christmas decorations, quite early yes but they obviously like to prepare, time starts to accelerate this time of year.

meeeeh

I always liked autumn, seeing christmasy stuff in shops now feels to me like someone is trying to rob me of a lovely part of the year.

I suppose excessive Christmas decorations on houses serve purpose though. They are very good indicator for prospective house buyers which estates to avoid.

paleoperson

seamus wrote: »

It doesn't. It's all in your head.

What actually happens is that as you get older, you are less aware of the passage of time; you're busy, you're better able to disengage your brain and shut down instead of getting bored.

As a result, every year the Xmas rush sneaks up on you just a little bit faster than you expected. As a child, it felt like Xmas would never come. As an old fogey, it feels like Xmas starts earlier every year.

It doesn't.

I also think people like to complain and talk about how senseless the world is getting as they get older. A lot of people feel a sense of self-importance when they complain, it puts them feeling in a smug position of superiority over the common man. And people like that. It's become a kind of cliche to be surprised and outraged you are at how the shops are opening earlier every christmas, newspapers also want to write an article of course about the commercialization of christmas etc.

Now maybe I'm wrong, maybe it is indeed that the shops are opening earlier every single year for the past 30 years, but it doesn't seem that likely. What I definitely have heard for the past 30 years though is... "Look at how every year the shops are opening earlier, begorah isn't it ridiculous".