Christmas music should be banned from shops and radio stations until December 8, that’s the traditional date for the start of the festive season, known to many as the farmers’ shopping day.
Those of us from outside the pale are known as culchies to the Dubs and for decades we used to descend on the capital on the church holiday when kids were off school on that date.
The Christmas kick-off moved back eight days to December 1 and more recently it has started in September!
It’s time to call a halt before it turns into a 12-month commercially-driven affair.
Call me Scrooge if you want, but the Christmas songs that are already playing in the shops will be on repeat until the first week of January.
This waters down the sense of occasion and makes the season monotonous and boring.
I could cope with an overdose of Shane McGowan’s Fairytale Of New York but when you hear White Christmas 400 times, it gets a bit ridiculous.
Everybody has a set amount of money to spend and all the Black Fridays, Cyber Mondays, Christmas songs or advertising in the world won’t increase that.
Maybe it’s time for people power, with a conscious effort not to go Christmas shopping until December.
Think of how much more simple life would be, particularly for parents.
Liz and I were shopping last week when a member of staff told us the Christmas music has been playing in the store for the past six weeks.
So spare a thought for retail staff for they are the unsung heroes of the festive season.
