IT’S BEEN a long countdown, now Christmas is finally here.
But instead of being excited and looking forward to the celebration, some of us are thoroughly sick of it.
The first press release alerting me to the joys of Christmas 2022 came at the height of summer. It was sometime in July, when the distinctly unseasonal missive arrived, alerting me to some yuletide-related event or product. It sat incongruously in my inbox among appropriately-times subjects - where to find the cheapest school uniforms, how to beat back to school blues, and other end of term information.
Retailers get in on the act ridiculously early and start filling aisles with baubles and tinsel even before they’ve pulled out the skeletons and witches for Halloween.
It happens every year, this ridiculously premature plugging of all things Christmas, when it’s the last thing on our minds.
There’s actually a name for it: Christmas creep, a term coined in America - where else? – to describe a merchandising phenomenon in which retailers introduce Christmas-themed goods or decorations before the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. In the USA, that’s the last Friday in November, the day after Thanksgiving.
Christmas creep has also been cited as a phenomenon in radio broadcasting, when festive tunes are slipped into play lists from as early as October.
Shops are certainly guilty of this, with in-store audio systems belting out ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ when we’re walking around in shorts and T-shirts, moaning about hosepipe bans.
Some people may want it to be Christmas every day, but the majority of us don’t.
When I was growing up Christmas didn’t really feature in our home until December, when we opened the first window of the advent calendar. From then we would tick off the days and get into the spirit of the occasion.
The shops certainly did not stock Christmas stuff months in advance, and I remember being thrilled when it all arrived. Kids nowadays are so accustomed to looking at crackers and fairy lights that by the time December arrives they don’t notice it any more.
The ‘creep’ phenomenon can apply to other annual events in the calendar too, such as Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and Halloween.
Easter creep is certainly in evidence in the UK, with some shops selling Easter eggs even before Christmas.
Easter is catching up with Christmas as a big commercial exercise. Now, weeks in advance, shops display racks of Easter cards, alongside Easter bunnies, bonnets and shelf upon shelf of Easter eggs of all shapes and sizes.
Even the food advertised around Easter is taking on a very Christmassy feel. Manufacturers and retailers are capitalising on the annual holiday whereas in the past celebrations were very much centred around its religious meaning.
Valentine’s Day is the same. I am surprised I haven’t yet seen a display of horrendous cuddly toys or cars containing sickly messages of affection. It’s only 53 days away for pity’s sake - these marketing people aren’t doing their jobs properly.
I suppose on the plus side, having Christmas rammed down our throats for months means we have no excuse to forget something crucial on the big day.
But the constant drip feed from the summer solstice onwards dampens the thrill that Christmas used to bring, and when it arrives you’re quite blasé about the whole affair.
Maybe I am more aware of this because I’m not a huge fan of the festive season. It’s an expensive, stressful few days that, I suspect, many people could do without.
It will soon be over, but keep vigilant - it won’t be long before its creeping back.
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