Countdown to Christmas

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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:33 pm

No, I'm not kidding.

Last year I saw the first Christmas stuff in a store on August 31st.

Let's see who see who finds the first stuff this year.

Report your findings here.

I haven't seen anything yet this year, but my local grocery store was clearing out a big area near the front today. Santa

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

How early. In Scotland anyway (dunno about the rest of the UK), it's normally late September.

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:45 pm

They are clearing out the back-to-school stuff and getting in the Halloween stuff. Before Halloween is over Christmas stuff will appear. It's been years since I've seen anything special about Thanksgiving, except in the grocery stores, where the turkey roasters and canned candied yams are out from late October through New Years.

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:00 pm

It's usually the day after Halloween here now, A few years back before I went to Ireland, it was October, now they have halloween here, it's been later.

Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:15 pm

Two days ago our local newspaper ran a feature on restaurants in the area taking bookings for Christmas and new year. Shocked

I'm still waiting for summer.

** Retired ** Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 750 Location: Air

My fiance's workmates were polled on their preferred xmas party location back in June !!

Rediculous.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:02 am

WD - they still call it a Christmas Party? We had to call it a Winter Holiday Party, as not all our employees celebrated Christmas.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:13 am

irishemigrant wrote:

A few years back before I went to Ireland, it was October, now they have halloween here, it's been later.

What do you mean NOW they have halloween? We've always had halloween over here. It's just we didn't commercialise holidays as much as the rest of the worls until recent years.
Very Happy

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:21 am

I've seen court ordered custody papers that list Halloween in the holiday visitations part.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:14 am

Titania wrote:

We had to call it a Winter Holiday Party, as not all our employees celebrated Christmas.

They don't have to go then. Wink

Dumbass political correctness. Pisses me off.

Sorry for the hijack.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:39 am

^^

I'm sure I'll see a Coles or Woolworths commercial soon enough. I hope Woolworth's because I'm sick of their stupid "Fresh Food People" ad.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:15 am

@ JD, I'm not in Ireland now, I moved earlier this year,
edit: forgot to add this, I hadn't missed Ronnie, 3 days ago
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=146769

Where I lived in Ireland was a village on the coast, we had the kids doing raids on houses from 8pm till midnight or more, the next day the Property maintenance business I worked for had the job of taking down the Halloween stuff off the store fronts, and putting the christmas stuff and lights up, it was good craic, especially when we did the pubs and bars.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 4:28 am

The weather in Germany for the time being is almost similar as around Xmas time last year Laughing

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:48 am

I saw Xmas stuff for sale back in January. Mind you it was last year's stock.

You always know its Boxing Day because the holiday adverts start on the tele.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 8:54 am

Last weekend (August 16/17) a local dept store was putting out Christmas stock.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:44 pm

I've seen a few chistmas displays set up here aready.
@ BA [OT Rant]

Quote:

Dumbass political correctness. Pisses me off.

I know the feeling, one time some lady that came in to work was sent by someone, and was told to ask for bald (name) since there is two (name) here, she come in asking for "follically challenged (name)" I just looked at her and sead "I'm not follically challenged, I'm f***ing BALD!" the PC crowd thinks its insaulting to use the words bald or short but to me its a bigger insault to me useing PC terms, They think I cant emotionly handle it. I'm a big boy now.[/Rant]

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:01 pm

I was shopping at a Sams Club (major US warehouse club chain) this past Tuesday and they already had wrapping paper, bows, toys, and some of their Santa Claus/character decorations out.

As insane as it is, though, I am usually one of the first people looking for Christmas stuff so I actually keep track of who already has it. Because I take photos for custom Christmas cards for my nonprofit to send out to approximately 5,000 donors, and you just never know with animals how well they'll cooperate, I usually have to start taking photos by September if I want to make sure that I have a decent design to get to the printers in October for mailing in November, so if something I want to use didn't survive storage, I'm looking for it in September. I've gotten lots of funny looks at a shopping cart with bows and stockings in September, though.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:37 pm

Our local WallMart and Sam's always have the Christmas things out by now. We will be there today for our bi-weeky grocery shopping .Of course after seeing the displays my three 5 year olds will be singing Christmass carols and bugging me to set up the lights,tree and decorations.We go through this every year ,thanks a lot WallMart.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 6:42 pm

THREE five year olds? Shocked

You have my admiration!

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 7:11 pm

Yes ,three 5 year old girls. With an older sister all from West Africa no less . They are a handfull at times and run this old man ragged but they are sweetest children in the world,and we love them dearly.

Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 9:12 pm

The place where I work booked our Christmas Party last week. It's nearly getting to the point where preperations for Christmas will start in January.

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 12:43 am

I'm surprised the stores don't start stocking Christmas items from around mid year.

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 1:47 am

Several years ago I gave my sister a subscrition to Vanity Fair magazine for Christmas.
I have renewed it each year.
The magazine starts sending me renewal notices in August.

Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:44 pm

"Prior to August 31st" definitely wins, at least for me.

The same store that had the stuff out last year on August 31 had it out today, August 28th.

I'll just have to start listening to "Last Christmas" now until my brain bleeds. That should be by tomorrow.

Merry Christmas everyone!

[edit:] For the PC fanatics: Merry whatever-you-celebrate-if-you-celebrate-at-all-that-is!

For the depressive PC fanatics: Have a dreary whatever-you-celebrate-if-you-celebrate-at-all-that-is, and don't tell me about it, please.

For the PC fanatics who don't celebrate: Have a drink on me, but don't ask why, because you don't want to know.

Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 11:23 am

i used to work in a supermarket. it was very unbareable for the last 6 months of the year. noddy singing on a loop for 12h + shifts are not nice.
we asked the manager to `turn it off`. they wouldnt.
several employees sabotage the pa system, taking out leads, fuses and plugs, finally resorting to stealing the christmas CD.

life in a supermarket is hard. we usually have guys coming in and walking off with trolleys full of spirits. i think noddy drove them to it.