Christmas comes early to Rochdale... Four months early!

Is this some kind of a record?

The magic of Christmas has arrived in Rochdale, with more than four months to go until December 25.

Despite the summer heat, festive lights have been appearing on lamp-posts in the Lancashire town. The decorations include a giant Noel sign and a Santa Claus.

The council says they have gone up early to celebrate festivals for other faiths, including the Hindu festival of Diwali in October, and local officials claim that putting them up early will also save around £10,000 of taxpayers' money.

Would you Adam and Eve it?

Christmas Comes Early: Example #3 - Welcome to Christmas World!

Today I briefly visited Christmas World at Harrod's. Christmas World! And it's not even the end of September!

But that's not the worst of it. London's most famous corner shop has been piping festive tunes into their little corner of Christmas since... 2 August!

Pity the poor shop assistants who have to work there for five months of the year! I bet they'll really be looking forward to Christmas by the time 25 December comes.

Christmas Comes Early: Example #2 - Songs of Praise

Recently I posted evidence of Christmas coming early with regard to supermarkets setting out their festive wares - at the start of September! Well, now I have more evidence to fuel the fire.

Last Sunday (that's 14 September) the BBC's Songs of Praise special was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall. But moving such landmark festivals is all par for the course with Songs of Praise. Take, for example, what happened last year to Easter.

I know that Easter is a movable feast but really...!

Christmas is here! It's official!

People are always saying that Christmas comes earlier every year, but this year looks like it's going to break all previous records, as Christmas is already here! As of last Friday, to be exact. For that was when I went into my local branch of a particular well-known supermarket chain and saw an employee setting out this year's Christmas confectionery.

And there's the proof. Well, it won't be long before What is Myrrh Anyway? is out in the shops, so if the supermarkets are already putting people in a Christmasy frame of mind, surely it can't hurt sales. As they say, every little help!