As the jolly jingles of sleigh bell tunes begin to creep into our ears, company Christmas adverts begin to appear on our televisions and the sweet smell of cinnamon and candy canes waft into the air, everyone is aware that Christmas is close approaching. But along with this, comes the age-old debate: when does Christmas really start? 

Many say that the Christmas season officially starts on December 1st, however some retailers disagree, as last year festive stock was seen in many large supermarket companies such as Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s as early as September! Customers rarely see Easter eggs in stores in January, nor Halloween costumes in July, so why do these commercial outlets feel the need to sell these Yuletide delights so early? 

Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays both in the UK and globally, as British families spent an average of over £800 last year on festive food, gifts and decorations to make the season jolly. As a result, retailers have learnt that they earlier they begin to stock and market their Christmassy goods, the earlier customers flock to buy them. This is shown by the plethora of Black Friday events coming up this week, where companies compete to entice customers prior to Christmas as they know this is the prime time when many consumers receive their last payment before the big day.  

This hugely commercialised tactic to start Christmas as soon as possible is taking away from the primary message for Christmas, a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. Hardly any of the shop adverts appearing on our television are focused around that, and the money made from Christmas is barely relevant to the main reason for the holiday. Perhaps companies should therefore do some soul-searching about the real reasons behind the timings and sentiments behind their Christmas campaigns. When a local shopper and teacher, Natalie Beirne, was questioned as to whether she agreed with the commercialised nature of Christmas, she told us: ‘No, I think that children today are sent the wrong message about Christmas and for many it’s more about what they get on the big day, not about the reasons why Christians celebrate.’ 

On the other hand, most of the British population love to celebrate Christmas, and many enjoy the fact that the festive treats appear so early in our supermarkets. The holiday is very exciting, especially for children as nativities and the ideas of gifts arise, so for some, the earlier the better!  

So when should Christmas really begin? Traditionally, it was supposed to be on Christmas Day, when the 12 days of Christmas begin, lasting until around the 5th January. However whether it be due to human anticipation or simply commercialism, the festive season can start from over 3 months before! In today’s society it is unlikely the shops will ever change their ways, however ultimately it is up to the individual as to when they want Christmas to start.