So much for the spirit of Christmas. Without so much as a sleigh bell ringing, supermarket chains are already looking to cash in on Christmas by filling their shelves with Yuletide goods, even though we've yet to see the back of summer.
With 114 days to go until 25 December, Sainsbury's is already stocking mince pies, and while it says this is a product it sells all year round it is using festively decorated packaging to push them off the shelves now.
It's not the only offender. A few phone calls revealed that the National Trust is peddling Christmas goods to the masses, with calenders and greeting cards in store now, while the rest of its festive line is due to hit shelves in October.
And both Harrods and Selfridges opened their Christmas shops at the tail end of July – Harrods complete with a grotto (just in time to catch kids on their summer holidays).
When I was younger I sung of the 12 days of Christmas not 114, but this seems to be lost on these shops who seem to think there is nothing unusual about picking up a Christmas pudding at the same time as charcoal for the barbecue. Next we'll be seeing Father Christmas in a vest, shorts and flip flops.
Sainsbury's says it is responding to customer demand and helping the public by starting Christmas early: "It helps them spread the cost of Christmas and manage their budgets." (Although that doesn't explain why it is selling some goods that will be past their sell-by-date by the time Christmas actually arrives.) Selfridges says it is meeting the demands of the huge influx of tourists that visit London ever summer.
The Mince Pie Monitor on Twitter appears to be as outraged as I am. It is asking followers to name and shame the shops that have given into commercialism and are selling Christmas goods out of season.
Scrooge I am not, but I do believe the season to be jolly isn't quite the same if it lasts half a year. Are you annoyed about the early arrival of Christmas? Have you experienced it too, and if so where and when?
