As the scent of spring blossoms still lingers in the air and the final echoes of cheering from winter sports fade, a familiar jingle begins to play in the distance. Yes, it's that time of year again when the Christmas frenzy starts to take hold. But wait, isn't it only September? For many of us in the Seniors Discount Club, the premature arrival of Christmas in stores can feel a bit like a sleigh jumping the gun.

The festive season is a time of joy, family, and traditions. Many of us relish the opportunity to don our homes in tinsel, bake gingerbread cookies, and wrap presents with care. However, the commercial rush to get Christmas started before we've even had a chance to plan our Halloween costumes or celebrate the birthdays that fall in the latter part of the year can be overwhelming.

Some criticised the early rollout of Christmas merchandise, adding to the mental load for families, especially women. Credit: Shutterstock

Walking into a retailer to be greeted by glittery decorations and festive paraphernalia over 100 days before Santa's supposed arrival can feel like a bit much. It's as if the holiday season has been stretched to its limits, starting earlier each year, and it's not just the stores that are pushing this trend. Social media is abuzz with people excitedly sharing their latest Christmas-themed finds, from pyjamas to ornaments.

Retailers like Big W and Best & Less are stocking their shelves with Christmas goods as early as the first week of spring, citing customer demand for more time to plan and budget for the festive season. While this may be true for some, for others, it adds to an already overflowing mental load. The invisible emotional work of running a family and household, which often falls to women, includes the monumental task of orchestrating the perfect Christmas.

The pressure to start planning themes, hanging stockings, and hiding gifts months in advance can lead to burnout long before the actual holiday arrives. Not to mention the stress of transporting the magic of Christmas to different locations for those who spend the holiday away from home.

Moreover, the early push for Christmas shopping can lead to overconsumption. With holiday spending being a significant profit driver for retailers, the early display of Christmas stock encourages impulse buying and the fear of missing out. The scarcity theory plays into our psychology, making us believe that we need to act fast or risk losing out.

But let's not forget the true essence of Christmas. It's not about the latest decorations or the perfect gift; it's about spending time with loved ones and creating memories. The commercialization of the holiday can sometimes overshadow its real meaning.

So, before you succumb to the allure of those twinkling lights and festive displays, remember that Christmas will still be there in December. There's no need to rush into the celebrations or the spending. Take the time to enjoy the present moments, the birthdays, the spring holidays, and the simple pleasures of the season.

And when you do decide to start your Christmas preparations, do it with intention and joy, not because a store told you it's time. After all, the holidays are meant to be a time of happiness, not stress. So, let's reclaim the narrative and celebrate on our own terms, in our own time.

Key Takeaways

• The author expresses frustration with the early rollout of Christmas merchandise in stores, noting it adds to the mental load of planning for families, particularly women.
• Big W and Best & Less are launching their Christmas ranges as early as September to give customers time to spread out their spending and budget for the festive season.
• The availability of Christmas items well before December is seen to encourage overconsumption and impulse buying due to the psychology of scarcity and the happiness associated with holiday preparations.
• Despite the author's reluctance to engage with the early Christmas craze, retailers ensure they are catering to customer demand and planning for significant profits during the holiday season.

We'd love to hear from you, our dear members. When do you think is the right time to start preparing for Christmas? Do you feel the pressure to begin celebrating earlier each year? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below, and let's discuss how we can keep the holiday season merry, bright, and stress-free.

 

[Jo Piper3]

Do we really observe Halloween in Australia? Maybe it has just become a commercial money maker? Anyway, do your Christmas shopping whenever you like (just take notice of the use by dates).

 

[Veggiepatch]

Do we really observe Halloween in Australia? Maybe it has just become a commercial money maker? Anyway, do your Christmas shopping whenever you like (just take notice of the use by dates).

Why should we spend money on pagan festivals such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter?

It was estimated that Australians spent nearly $500 million in 2023 on Halloween alone!

Yet people who spent about $220 million on 2021's Melbourne Cup are frowned upon!

Let the hypocrisy sink in for a minute!

 

[DLHM]

I think the stores who display the Xmas items early are just getting their old stock out of mothballs. I’m thinking some items would be getting a few years old by now; desperate to get them sold.

 

[Hollingworthlake]

It’s hard enough trying to keep up with everyday demands and quite honestly it makes me sick to see such encouragements to buy buy buy and prepare and enhance profits. I agree Christmas is a time for giving and joining celebrations but not so early. I don’t think it’s right for such commercial interests to encourage more spending of money weeks before we need to. We need to address our own understanding of what is important, not commerce’s need to make more profits

 

[Veggiepatch]

It is evident that major retailers think that they can influence the shopper's thinking.

The trouble is, we are not all that gullible.

 

[Ezzy]

Why should we spend money on pagan festivals such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter?

It was estimated that Australians spent nearly $500 million in 2023 on Halloween alone!

Yet people who spent about $220 million on 2021's Melbourne Cup are frowned upon!

Let the hypocrisy sink in for a minute!

When you were growing up did you happily & without question receive gifts @ Christmas & chocolate eggs @ Easter & if you have children, did you eagerly buy your child or children the same gifts for those occasions? Do you still receive gifts @ Christmas from people. Did you consider these to be Pagan Festivals then?
I agree that Halloween, another 'celebration' started in America, meant for children, is one l feel we do not need.

 

[DLHM]

When you were growing up did you happily & without question receive gifts @ Christmas & chocolate eggs @ Easter & if you have children, did you eagerly buy your child or children the same gifts for those occasions? Do you still receive gifts @ Christmas from people. Did you consider these to be Pagan Festivals then?
I agree that Halloween, another 'celebration' started in America, meant for children, is one l feel we do not need.

I don’t feel we need Halloween either.

“Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France.”

 

[Veggiepatch]

When you were growing up did you happily & without question receive gifts @ Christmas & chocolate eggs @ Easter & if you have children, did you eagerly buy your child or children the same gifts for those occasions? Do you still receive gifts @ Christmas from people. Did you consider these to be Pagan Festivals then?
I agree that Halloween, another 'celebration' started in America, meant for children, is one l feel we do not need.

Birthdays held more significance in my family and everybody now is in their late 20s minimum. How they deal with their children (my grandchildren) is none of my business.

Thankfully, church was never a part of our family's life. The only connection we had was to get my son into a Catholic Church so he could attend the only private school in the area on the NSW Central Coast. His two older sisters had already left school and attended private schools on the NSW South Coast. Christmas and Easter held little significance, which incidentally, has turned into a retailers' dream. I would rather celebrate Anzac Day, which actually occurred, unlike the Christmas and Easter, which are based on a collection of fables and fairy tales.

Same went with my parents who considered religion as an unnecessary part of life.

 

[novezar]

Hey "Veggie", you certainly let the bee out of yr bonnet there, champ.

At easter, dear Mum would always buy us Darrell Lea chocolate maroon filled easter eggs for us kids. We just loved them.

We loved putting up the Chrissy decorations as well.

Have you noticed for quite a while now, don't know if they still exist, i.e., chistmas tree farmers. They'd start to grow their fir trees at a certain time where they'd be ready for harvesting about 3 weeks before chrissy & sold at the markets.

Can always remember where the green grocer had them on sale just outside their shop. Can't remember how much they were as my dad wouldn't buy one.

Dad, sister, brother & self (as kids), we'd drive over to the mangrove swamp, where we just cut a suitable branch off, cart it home , stand in a bucket with old bricks to support it then decorate it. Still, it was fun in the latter 40's & very early 50's.

I bet there's a lot of others who may well have done something similar back then.

 

[Ezzy]

Birthdays held more significance in my family and everybody now is in their late 20s minimum. How they deal with their children (my grandchildren) is none of my business.

Thankfully, church was never a part of our family's life. The only connection we had was to get my son into a Catholic Church so he could attend the only private school in the area on the NSW Central Coast. His two older sisters had already left school and attended private schools on the NSW South Coast. Christmas and Easter held little significance, which incidentally, has turned into a retailers' dream. I would rather celebrate Anzac Day, which actually occurred, unlike the Christmas and Easter, which are based on a collection of fables and fairy tales.

Same went with my parents who considered religion as an unnecessary part of life.

Who mentioned birthdays? Certainly not me!
Easter is for children. As for Christmas, you were bought up as a non-believer but as far as this being based on fables & fairy tales, you are way off the mark. Retailers have spoilt this time of the year but buying & exchanging gifts is not what Christmas is all about. Our family put in a small amount (less than $10 X 10 people) to buy a gift for our teenage grandchildren. Religion doesn't have to be a part of your life, but you could acknowledge that creation had to start somewhere & the Scriptures were written by people who were present at those events or with witnesses to these. I will not push religion down any person's throat.

Children learn what they are taught.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Who mentioned birthdays? Certainly not me!
Easter is for children. As for Christmas, you were bought up as a non-believer but as far as this being based on fables & fairy tales, you are way off the mark. Retailers have spoilt this time of the year but buying & exchanging gifts is not what Christmas is all about. Our family put in a small amount (less than $10 X 10 people) to buy a gift for our teenage grandchildren. Religion doesn't have to be a part of your life, but you could acknowledge that creation had to start somewhere & the Scriptures were written by people who were present at those events or with witnesses to these. I will not push religion down any person's throat.

Children learn what they are taught.

Creation started with the formation of the universe by way of several theories such as the Big Bang.

Evolution started with an idea proposed by Charles Darwin and is proven by scientific method such as carbon-14 dating, not by some mythological entities who appeared out of nowhere, known as Adam and Eve along with their incestuous offspring.

We could argue this all day. There is a stark difference between belief and evidence.

 

[Ezzy]

Creation started with the formation of the universe by way of several theories such as the Big Bang.

Evolution started with an idea proposed by Charles Darwin and is proven by scientific method such as carbon-14 dating, not by some mythological entities who appeared out of nowhere, known as Adam and Eve along with their incestuous offspring.

We could argue this all day. There is a stark difference between belief and evidence.

To each his own. Even today that which was supposed to be scientifically proven has been proven wrong.

WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE "BIG BANG" & HOW DID THIS FORM CREATIONS AS WE KNOW THEM?

Yes, we could argue all day & still have opposite beliefs. Technology will always attempt to disprove events or anything else. One thing which remains is that none of us can be criticized for those beliefs. I remain unchanged.

 

[Hollingworthlake]

I don’t feel we need Halloween either.

“Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France.”

I don’t believe we should “celebrate’ it either. Wherever it started

 

[Tracy1]

Like the old days, when I was a kid in the 1970's. I remember Christmas taking forever to come around, now it seems with the blink of an eye, it's here already. I think Christmas decorations etc should be available to buy in the shops in mid November, not before.
I don't we should be celebrating Halloween. It was never a thing when I was a kid, why now does it have to be such a big thing? Probably for the shops to boost profits. It seems these days, spending time in shopping malls is more important than taking the kids on holidays and discovering this wonderful country of ours.

 

[Julia TH]

I lost both my parents around Christmastime last year. Consequently, I am dreading Christmas this year, it being the first without either of them. Seeing the decorations and food available so early is really making the upcoming holiday harder.

 

[Jo Piper3]

I lost both my parents around Christmastime last year. Consequently, I am dreading Christmas this year, it being the first without either of them. Seeing the decorations and food available so early is really making the upcoming holiday harder.

Sincere condolences on your great loss.

 

[Ezzy]

I lost both my parents around Christmastime last year. Consequently, I am dreading Christmas this year, it being the first without either of them. Seeing the decorations and food available so early is really making the upcoming holiday harder.

Condolences Julia on the loss of your parents.
We have lost dear friends around Christmas but not parents & it was a struggle the first year but thereafter this time gets easier.
Try to remember those Christmas's past & the beautiful moments you shared with them & share these memories with a friend but try not to be alone at that time.
Bless you dear friend.