Is 'Christmas' over too soon?

[pdq]

I was shopping for basics a few days ago, so it was the 3rd or 4th 'day of Christmas'. Other than the 'discount' shelves, there was no sign that it is still the Christmas season. No decorations, lights, music; nothing festive at all.
We spend ages preparing for Christmas but then seem to want to be over with it as soon as the season has arrived. What's happened to 12 days of Christmas? We barely get a handful these days. 12 days is maybe a bit much in these secular times, but would a week of Christmas/Yuletide festivities and cheer be too much to ask?

 

[Darandio]

The majority of shops in my town had decorations, lights and music from the start of December and i'm sure others experienced the same. My question would be does it start too soon?

 

[Cowley]

The majority of shops in my town had decorations, lights and music from the start of December and i'm sure others experienced the same. My question would be does it start too soon?

I would say so, and I feel particularly sorry for those that work in retail that have to listen to Christmas songs for weeks!

Our Christmas tree will be doing a rapid exit out of the kitchen door and onto the bonfire when I get home from work tomorrow evening.

 

[brad465]

Don't worry, we can all "look forward" to Easter eggs in the supermarkets from this week.

 

[Ted633]

Christmas ends for shops etc on the 24th! Watch TV the Christmas Eve evening and all the adverts are for the boxing day / New Year sales!

 

[Harpo]

Christmas is like dating. The chase can be more fun than the catch. But 4 months of chasing is far too long!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

What's happened to 12 days of Christmas? We barely get a handful these days.

I just googled it and I don't think I had ever thought that "25 December – 5 January, inclusive" was the 12 days of Christmas
I thought it would've been like, 13-25 December as like the big countdown and then the actual day.
I'd heard of the concept before because of the one song but just thought it was counting up to Christmas rather than down from it!

To me Christmas is pretty much over once all the presents are openend and I go home.

 

[D6130]

To my mind, Christmas can never be over 'too soon'!

 

[Sun Chariot]

@pdq and @Darandio For the retail sector, Christmas product ranges and store theme / display are typically signed off in March / April for that year's Christmas. Lead times for design, manufacturing and supply chain (e.g. China) mean commitments have been made many months before you see them in the stores and websites. So retailers must maximise their full-price sales (and margin and thus money to cover all their operating costs). That's the rationale for why you see Christmas set up so early.

At Christmas Eve, their next selling cycle must be ready to showcase: Jan sale, Valentines, Spring transition, Easter, etc. That's why you see seasonal ranges and displays removed so quickly.

My wife lived in southern Spain, she saw their celebrations focused around the Three Kings (the Twelfth Night), so the "feel" of Christmas was visible later than we see in the UK.

 

[Magdalia]

What's happened to 12 days of Christmas? We barely get a handful these days.

My wife lived in southern Spain, she saw their celebrations focused around the Three Kings (the Twelfth Night), so the "feel" of Christmas was visible later than we see in the UK.

The origins of Christmas are religious celebration not commercial opportunity.

In Spain presents are exchanged at El Día de los Reyes, not on Christmas Day. They build up to the present exchange at the end of the 12 days, not the beginning.

Our Christmas tree will be doing a rapid exit out of the kitchen door and onto the bonfire when I get home from work tomorrow evening.

I was brought up on the custom that the Christmas decorations come down on Twelfth Night.

Christmas ends for shops etc on the 24th!

That's because anyone who needs to buy things for Christmas has done it by the 24th.

But I did get some half price mince pies on 27th!

 

[Purple Train]

Yes. It starts prematurely in Advent, then ends before it's started. Ridiculous. Christmas is the one issue on which I am remotely high-church. My Christmas jumper will be getting an outing on the 5th and I don't care what the Marketing Men think!

 

[dangie]

My local ‘Bargain Store’ has emptied its Christmas aisle and replaced it with garden stuff. Spring may be a way off but it’s coming

 

[Sun Chariot]

The origins of Christmas are religious celebration not commercial opportunity.

In Spain presents are exchanged at El Día de los Reyes, not on Christmas Day. They build up to the present exchange at the end of the 12 days, not the beginning.

I'm absolutely in agreement on both of your points there. Perhaps if the UK was also a Catholic dominant nation, the UK festivities would follow more closely to those of Spain

 

[Cambus731]

Thorny issue. The build up does always seem to start slowly in September or October. Then it always seems to whiz by in a flash. Whilst I respect the tradition of it still being Xmas until January 6th, I do think that New Years Day is the last day of Christmas in reality and I do think, personally that once we get to about January 4th, any decorations still up here and there do just look a bit sad almost implies a desperation to hang on to something that is over.

 

[david1212]

The majority of shops in my town had decorations, lights and music from the start of December and i'm sure others experienced the same. My question would be does it start too soon?

For retail while they need to spread sales over say six weeks IMO the in-store decorations, lights and music should only go up around 10th December. Come the 26th change the music but keep the lights and decorations until 2nd January.

I do not put up my house decorations more than 10 days ahead. If I did come 25th they would not still seem different. They will come down on Saturday.

... What's happened to 12 days of Christmas? We barely get a handful these days. 12 days is maybe a bit much in these secular times, but would a week of Christmas/Yuletide festivities and cheer be too much to ask?

From Wikipedia ( not always an accurate source of information )

While it is customary for Christians in some countries to remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), those in other Christian countries historically remove them after Candlemas. (2 February, which is traditionally the 40th day of and the conclusion of the Christmas–Epiphany season)

IMO that is too long.

 

[nlogax]

I like the way the season peters out over the new year period until it's unofficially done when the supermarket aisles are emptied of pies and puds and restocked with Easter eggs.

Rather this than countries without a Boxing Day where post-Christmas reality hits you like a ton of bricks on the 26th and the festivities suddenly vanish like a fart in the wind.

 

[johntea]

I did feel some sympathy for the workers in my local B&M who were spending their Christmas Eve having to knock up the 'sale' aisles for the tat they couldn't flog! One of thee sneakily had decided to unbox one of those massive party speaker things and loaded it up with a Christmas playlist on full blast

On another note I popped to Lidl and Asda for a couple of bits on New Year's Eve and crikey you would have thought the world was ending at the stroke of midnight, it seemed even worse than Christmas Eve!

 

[Crossover]

The one thing that does seem to end too quickly for me is the holiday from work

But I did get some half price mince pies on 27th!

I got some today from the Morrisons bakery reduced from £1.50 to 15p

 

[HOOVER29]

Don't worry, we can all "look forward" to Easter eggs in the supermarkets from this week.

Already in our local co-op on New Years Eve!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Don't worry, we can all "look forward" to Easter eggs in the supermarkets from this week.

Must be a really good profit margin on chocolate Easter eggs if they are able to be cluttering up the store shelves for the next few months. With Easter in mid April this year, they'll undoubtedly get sold in late March/early April, but in January or February, really? They don't seem to be fastest moving stock item at this time of the year!

 

[GusB]

Is 'Christmas' over too soon?

NO!

I'm glad it's done with. I don't object to people celebrating Christmas, but it can be quite oppressive and I really do object when people try to make you feel bad because you're not enjoying it as much as they are. Please just accept the fact that not everyone views it as a happy and joyous time.

You can have advent and I'm not going to deny you the twelve days; over and above that, it's far too much.

There really is nothing worse than being at work and being forced to listen to "Mistletoe and Wine", "All I Want for Christmas is You" and other rubbish songs all day, every day for a whole month.

As far as I'm concerned, when Boxing day ends Christmas is over. Move on. It's not as if it's never going to happen again in your lifetime.

No doubt there will be someone along shortly to suggest that it goes with the territory and that if you really don't like Christmas tunes at work, you're clearly not cut out for the job. I'd ask them to consider the sort of music they hate the most and whether or not they'd tolerate being forced to listen to it for eight hours a day for a month.

 

[edwin_m]

NO!

I'm glad it's done with. I don't object to people celebrating Christmas, but it can be quite oppressive and I really do object when people try to make you feel bad because you're not enjoying it as much as they are. Please just accept the fact that not everyone views it as a happy and joyous time.

You can have advent and I'm not going to deny you the twelve days; over and above that, it's far too much.

There really is nothing worse than being at work and being forced to listen to "Mistletoe and Wine", "All I Want for Christmas is You" and other rubbish songs all day, every day for a whole month.

As far as I'm concerned, when Boxing day ends Christmas is over. Move on. It's not as if it's never going to happen again in your lifetime.

No doubt there will be someone along shortly to suggest that it goes with the territory and that if you really don't like Christmas tunes at work, you're clearly not cut out for the job. I'd ask them to consider the sort of music they hate the most and whether or not they'd tolerate being forced to listen to it for eight hours a day for a month.

+1 for me. I have in the past been on my own at Christmas - quite happy to be so but what got to me was the "sympathy" and expectation that I had to enjoy myself in a certain way.

 

[65477]

For anyone who wants to continue with Christmas then find a church that uses the full 40 day of Christmas when the season ends at Candlemas on the 2nd of February. I once knew a vicar who kept his Christmas tree up to that date.

 

[Mag_seven]

If I had my way Christmas would start at 00.01 on Christmas Day and end at 23.59 on Boxing Day.

 

[1D54]

I'd be a hell of a lot happier if it never started in the first place.

 

[Giugiaro]

My question would be does it start too soon?

Yes. I remember a few years ago there were ads for Christmas sales in... August

 

[Discuss223]

It certainly starts too soon. I've noticed Christmas posters in shops and bars in August. When decorations and signs and trees are up for 4 months of the year, it certainly feels less special. 2nd of January is the day when things usually go back to normal, thankfully.

 

[Mike99]

Its my wife's birthday today, we've know each other since we were 5 years old in infants school, 62 years ago. Woe betide, even since teenage years, of anyone wrapping a birthday present in Xmas paper or saying "couldn't find a Birthday card'. Our Xmas bits came down as per the rules of the house last night, New Years Day evening.

 

[LMS 4F]

If I had my way Christmas would start at 00.01 on Christmas Day and end at 23.59 on Boxing Day.

Agreed

 

[scarby]

Here in Sweden, in common with several other European countries, January 6th is a holiday, which tends to prolong the Christmas season until then.