How long do you hold out against the tide of Christmas?

[ardcarp]

I was having my hair cut today. The young lady doing it asked, "Are you all ready for Christmas then?" Stifling the urge to say shut the **** up and get on with it, I grudged that it made a change from holiday plans, weather and how's the family, so decided to engage her in conversation. It turned out that all her presents were bought, her decorations were up, the freezer was stocked. What was she going to do for the next month, I inquired. Just enjoy it, she said. Well, good for her. I'll lay a small bet that by Dec27 she will have expunged all traces of The Season from her house.

The sound system in the salon was burbling a local radio station in the background, and every other word seemed to be 'Christmas'. How has it come about that we are so infantilised that 20% of every year has to be spent in anticipation of Santa....which is what it amounts to.

This isn't a case of bah humbug. I'll no doubt get a tree on the 23rd of next month (if there's any left). And it will stand in its full glory until Twelfth Night while my Christmas CDs get a twirl.

So far, R3 is resisting the tide....there are small mercies to be had.

How soon do your barriers fall?

[EdgeleyRob]

11th of December,2 weeks before.

[Petrushka]

We've had the tradition for some years of providing wish lists (written, before the advent of computer) by November 1 in order allow time for the buying process. Decorations will go up on the Saturday before Christmas as my mother always used to do, and I'll do my wrapping by Christmas Eve, except for friend's presents which are done earlier.

I'm reasonably well organised but panic starts to set in by Remembrance Sunday if I haven't started.

I was in Harrods in Knightsbridge on September 1, a lovely warm summer's day, and it was felt weird walking round their Christmas section so early. Mince pies and Christmas cards and puds were in Tesco before the August Bank Holiday and it's all crackers (pun intended).

Didn't I read somewhere of the Archbishop of Canterbury complaining of the extraordinary pressures of the commercialised Christmas on households with little money?

Is it now too late to stem the tide?

[teamsaint]

in our business, we could do with Christmas ,and the upturn in sales, lasting from about October to March.

Which is nothing to do with the OP. Sorry.

[Nick Armstrong]

Stifling the urge to say shut the **** up

Sounds as if you are already full of festive goodwill, ardy, if you were able to stifle it

How soon do your barriers fall?

If I may answer for Padraig, he has already specified 8 December (c.f. 'Mince pies" thread)

I get a frisson around Advent Sunday, when writing cards to the sound of the carols from St John's on the radio. It then tends to subside until the week before The Day.

[gurnemanz]

I thank the internet at this time of year. I went on a tour of the English Heritage Photo Archive in Swindon yesterday and got an idea for a Christmas present for someone - a book, "England Observed", with the marvellous work of the photographer, John Gay, who I had never even heard of before. I ordered it today online. I may well end up keeping it for myself.

Some examples here

[umslopogaas]

I'm well practiced about "What are you doing about Christmas, Ums*******s?" The simple answer is, I cant do anything about Christmas, its an affliction that will descend regardless, so you might as well endure it. So I will.

What to do about Christmas? Buy a few extra bottles from the Wine Society, you cant get rid of it but at least you can soften the impact.

Chrismassh, dunno, I supposhe it huppenned, gimme another drink ...

[Serial_Apologist]

As far as self-catering's concerned - which after all is what it always amounts to - I try and make sure to get all victuals in a fortnight ahead, barring short-term perishables, like bread and milk, avoiding thereby irritable half hour queues at supermarket checkouts. I'm 90% vegetarian, but usually indulge in turkey burgers for Christmas Day lunch, plus the usual veg, Xmas pud + custard etc. £2.99 bottle of St Sprees Hock with screw top to accompany - probably £4.99 since the bstards pushed the prices up. Musicwise I get out all the Christmassy music I have in my collection, from the Messiah to the present day, and play it over about 3 days in chronological order, ending with Peter Maxwell Davis carols. I have two ex-girlfriends to whom I send presents - one, who "finally" got married last year, will get her usual calendar, probably the Pink Floyd-themed one this year - the other I might just buy "Life Before Year Dot" by June Brown from Eastenders, of which she claims she has never missed an episode. The first will get me a food parcel, the second a calendar, probably with some Zen theme, pictures of bamboos, dragonflies on raked gravel, etc etc. I make up for my neo-scroogeian parsimoniousness, I persuade myself, by buying dozens of expensive Christmas cards, listing to whom they have been sent the moment they are posted, and ticking the respective name as each card is reciprocated - which it always is, even though I may have to wait until New Years Day in some cases. I might just watch The Queen at three _ I usually do - just to create a factitious sense of mystical Oneness with the British sector of the human race, at least. That's about it, really.

[Stillhomewardbound]

This is the worst, and the earliest, I've known it so far. Earlier this evening I cycled past the former Coronet cinema in Woolwich (just near the ferry) which is now a big evangelical church.

Well, it was all draped with those fairy light curtains and above the entrance was a twice life size crib tableau such as could have adorned the exterior of St.Paul's Cathedral.

If Christmas has to become a 'season', can it at least not have a start date earlier than the first Sunday of Advent.

Thank goodness I don't watch Broadcast television otherwise I'd have gone nuts by now with the adverts.

[Frances_iom]

I usually manage to hold out til 27th Dec after wch I look for the odd bargains in unsold Xmas puds (they last for at least another year if kept cool tho the packageing on many has become evermore flimsy over years) - I look for those that contain more fruit than sugar - other than that the season seems to make little difference apart from the week long closure of most institutions.

[Dave2002]

I used to like Christmas - a long time ago. In recent years, for various reasons I have tended to dread it, and find it a bit of an ordeal. Sometimes, though not always, it works out better than I feared.

Yesterday we received a free CD through the post of carol music played by a brass band from the British Legion. I've not played it yet, though will add it to the pile for an airing.

[Alison]

One pleasing aspect of this year is that Advent starts on 1 December. All those secular advent calendars will have it right!

Agree with Cali that something perceptibly changes on Advent Sunday. That still feels like 6 weeks away to me but is of course the Sunday after next.

One of my neighbours already has lights in the garden.

[Barbirollians]

I have always liked Christmas but becoming a parent has given it a boost for me . Hold out normally until Stir up Sunday .

I do think it is bonkers , however, to put any decorations etc up before Advent starts. Christmas tree normally the weekend before Christmas.

[ardcarp]

Lovely post, S-A (#8) and am impressed with your polysyllabically tautological

neo-scroogeian parsimoniousness

[vinteuil]

"... Christmas - that inconvenient break between the Michaelmas and Hilary Terms... "