Christmas – how soon is too soon?

Every year, it’s the same question in the run-up to Christmas: how soon is ‘too soon’?

That’s the question being asked this week by Londoners as the festive lights are being put up in Oxford Street and the Christmas countdown begins in earnest.

To be fair, there are a lot of lights to put up and they are a huge tourist attraction in the hectic shopping days through December.

However, it appears that the lights were being put up on September 26, which is 90 days before Christmas Day.

Is that too soon?

We express disbelief when we spot our first advent Calendar hiding in a corner at the supermarket.

In September, supermarkets begin ramping up the stocking of shelves with festive fare and just yesterday the Christmas.co.uk team had to step around Boots staff preparing their myriad of three-for-two festive bonanza offers.

It always seems as though the festivities are starting earlier every year – but is that the case? Trawl through media coverage last year and people were making the same complaints – and the year before that, and the year …

But should we hold off organising festive events until closer to Christmas itself?  Lots of people get organised and buy presents early in the year and many enjoy the build-up to the festivities.

So, are critics just being humbugs are should we start looking at some sort of date that will herald the start of Christmas?

What do you think? Are the festivities starting earlier every year and when is ‘too soon’ actually too soon for Christmas?