Xmas appears to have arrived at Sainsburys in the form of stollen, selection boxes, and large tins of Quality Street. Arrived at the same time as Halloween. In mid September.

Is this a record as I recall usually finding stollen on the shelves some time after the October half term at the earliest?

Been Xmas lines available in stores for about a month now.
Commercialisation of Xmas sucks

Christmas shopping zone was open at Selfridges early August couldn't beleive my eyes!! Hands up who buys this stuff so early!

Sainsburys in Sydenham had mince pies in for the August bank holiday weekend. Last week they started stocking their 'seasonal' aisle - advent calendars, chocolate Santas, the lot. I try not to look.

Oh good - I'm going out to Florida soon and the pal I'm visiting wanted some mincepies (the Xmas kind) so that's handy to know

At the risk of starting WW3, please Roz can you re-name this thread CHRISTmas or is it just part of Winterval?
I'm not particularly religious but...
I've been to Bromley today and there seemed to be Christmas wrapping paper at every tillpoint in most of the shops I visited.
Depressing.

I am with annsquire on this - it is Christmas I really loathe it being called that other thing.......

But the X represents Chi, the first letter in Christ, hence the abbreviation. I don't think it's meant (at least originally) to be disrespectful.

Don't want to upset the Christian applecart, but Jesus wasn't born anywhere near December 25th as far as we know, and the Christians hijacked the pagan festival cos they knew no-one would give up the drinking and feasting for a fella on a cross.

Bring on the commercialisation! (and the drinking and the feasting).

(But I agree...not till at earliest December 1st