Every year, it seems that the Christmas period comes around faster and hangs around for longer than we care to admit. From as early as mid-September, a stray box of baubles or a lone roll of wrapping paper decked with glitter and snowmen, can be spotted slowly invading the shelf space in most shops. Of course, retailers know what a massive sales job Christmas is, why not get a head start?

It is fair to say that Christmas coming early to local shops has some mixed reviews. Lydia, aged ten, is a local primary school student who says that: “I think its pretty good for sales, getting prepared for Christmas and for getting everyone into the festive mood.” However, Lydia’s mother on the other hand says: “Christmas is very commercial. Christmas is all about separating you from your wallet. I think it takes the whole ‘good feeling’ away from Christmas because by December, everyone is fed up with it as they’ve had to endure the build-up for months. The minute school starts and the children are in their new school uniforms, the shops start to put up their Christmas decorations so that by the holidays, they look tired and worn.”

Only time will tell whether the shops will begin to reign in their festivity, but for now, I think we can all agree that a dose of Christmas is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Emilia Obszanska