I am reliably assured every year that Christmas can not start until after 23 November - my daughter tells me that and I won't argue with her as she's bigger than me! (It's her birthday BTW)

I am also informed, by same source, that it's not Christmas until she hears Noddy declare it so!

It's CHRISSSSSSMAAASSSSSS!
  
                                                                                                                                                                             

Izzy your not wrong there as the 23rd is the night of the big party so only just over a week to Christmas now                                                                                                                                                                              

Well not to worry, due to extensive and exhausting research, I have discovered that Christ, if real, was born approx 6 months after the birth of john the baptist, given this fact we can determine that if JB was born in march, according to the gospel of st Luke, add 6 months and we find that Christ, if real, was clearly born in September. December the 25th was chosen as a replacement for the pagan ritual of bacanalia, ultimatelykilling off paganism in Britain. So, to summarise, Christmas should be held in September and pagan rites, including orgies, drinking and virgin sacrifice should be celebrated on December the 25th. So if you are worrying that the religious significance has disappeared from chrimbo then worry no more. Excess and indulgence should and must be celebrated in December.
Here endeth today's lesson.

(can you tell I am at work with nothing better to do?)

Yes Mr Scrooge, kinda gathered 

23rd Nov aside, I think we should have a national holiday up here (Scotland) for St Andrew's day. All the bank holidays are loaded to the front of the year - we don't get August bank holiday (unless we're a bank!) - so our last bank holiday is end of May and there's an awwwfffy long wait for crimbo. So, a new holiday added to the calender and a total ban on any Christmas-related commercialism until St Andrew has been duly celebrated will get my vote.                                                                                                                                                                             

Scrooge has nothing on me!! 
I'm not a Christian and I don't need an excuse to spend time with my friends and, if I had one, family, eat too much and get pi$$ed. Neither do I need to be reminded to be nice to folk once a year as I do my best all year round.
The whole Xmas period has degenerated into a huge meaningless commercial exercise which is cynical in the extreme.
Xmas now starts in November and followed hot on it's heels by Easter which starts just before The New Year is seen in!! Last year I found Xmas mince pies in Sainsbury with expiry dates that were in the second week of December. Oh! Watch out for the Summer Holiday ads which generally appear on TV sometime during Boxing Day!
                                                                                                                                                                             

Roll on spring!                                                                                                                                                                              

I nipped into White Rose Centre, Leeds first thing this morning to buy something totally unrelated to Crimbo and believe it or not they weren't in stock and to order them in the shop cost more than doing it online... Pah, that's just pants!! 

What I couldn't believe was how many peeps were wandering around the centre just after 10am with sooooo many bags they could hardly walk... what is it? a competition to see how many bags it takes before you keel over and die?!?!

OMG!  I'm soo not into this shopping malarky ... I'm filled with dread  at the prospect, perhaps a card and some good wishes will suffice ...                                                                                                                                                                              

Itunes vouchers lol

Can even send then via e mail

Pmsl
                                                                                                                                                                             

I'm with OJ The sooner it's over the better                                                                                                                                                                             

Xmas was invented by Hallmark to sell cards.
As were birthdays.
                                                                                                                                                                             

If you hadn't worked it out yet, Santa is an anagram of.....Satan.

                                                                                                                                                                             

3 weeks to go and as usual I aint done any shopping yet!

Ho hum, will be a trip out to Boots on Christmas Eve YET AGAIN!


                                                                                                                                                                             

No further on than i was on my previous post ... Ie not even started yet ... Hmm suppose i ought to start thinking about it!                                                                                                                                                                             

presents bought, wrapped, tagged and parcelled up, ready to send.....   do you want me to tell you about the Christmas cards   Trick to xmas present buying.  Save your boots points all year, wait until January sales whilst 3 for 2 is still on and get everything .....oh and get your birthday presents at the same time.   and YES i re-gift too