Christmas stocking

Christmas wrapping paper and mince pies may have crept their way into shops during the past few weeks, but according to comments from over 1000 of our panellists it’s still too early for festive cheer.

• One complained, ‘I saw advent calendars for sale in Morrisons yesterday. Ridiculous’, while another said ‘I saw some Christmas stuff in M&S last week...it just made me depressed.’
• Many criticised the ‘commercialism of Christmas’ and one humbug ranted ‘I hate Christmas more and more every year,’ emphatically adding, ‘Christmas themed products increase the horror by arriving too soon.’
• However, some welcome the early stock, with many suggesting ‘advanced preparation’, ’cost spreading’ and ‘avoidance of long queues and panic buying presents’ as good reasons for the early arrival of Christmas in shops.
• November is the earliest stock should arrive, most respondents answered, as it is ‘not so early that it would spoil the magic of Christmas’ but early enough for people to ‘get prepared’, said one.
• Another respondent pointed out that if it comes ‘any earlier, the novelty wears off’.
Indeed, while Marks and Spencer have already started stocking a few items, such as giftwrap, their official Christmas shop opens on October 14th every year. A M&S representative explains that this date is chosen 'due to consumer demand, to satisfy the many customers who like to plan out their present-buying early on.'But while some people claim they’d be happy to see Christmas in the shops all year round, a few Scrooges among us think that even Christmas Eve is too early. With October creeping around the corner and cold nights definitely drawing in, it seems that like it or loathe it there may be no escape from early Christmassy clutter and premature festive fare. Bring on the figgy pudding…