Kate Hawkesby: Our Christmas tree is up - is November too early?

My daughter's logic was that the sooner the Xmas tree is up, the longer we can enjoy it for. Photo / 123RF

COMMENT: We put up our Christmas tree at the weekend.

I know. Far too early.

But you try telling an excitable child that. She was unstoppable.

Partly excited for Christmas, partly keen to rub it in the resident Grinch's face.
It worked. He was horrified.

But the festive spirit is all around - and it feels like it gets earlier every year.

We barely dust off the sand from Labour Weekend and put away the fireworks, before Christmas decorations are all around us.

From shops with Christmas decorations popping up in window displays to Christmas music creeping into the malls (a definite push to get you into Christmas shopping mode early...)

The YouTubers, influencers and bloggers who kids follow on social media are all starting their Christmas 'unboxings'.

Goodies marketed as 'limited edition' are dangled tantalisingly in front of them, urging them to 'get in quick'.

But if you think all this premature, consider this: one in five Brits has already finished their Christmas shopping. That's right. Finished it.

Apparently the British are famous for getting in early and having it all wrapped up by November.

My daughter's logic was that the sooner the tree is up, the longer we can enjoy it for.

Obviously the real tree has to come later, but an artificial one can sit up for weeks on end no worries.

No sooner had she finished decorating it and put up a wreath on the front door than the neighbours were round. Wide-eyed, asking why on earth the Christmas tree was up.

"Why not?" my daughter replied.

We seem to have a lot of rules around Christmas don't we?
Some people are sticklers for no trees up before the first of December, some feel the same way about Christmas music.

That's fair enough. But I figure what's Christmas about, and more importantly who's it for?

There are only so many years that kids are into trees and Santa and carols and fairy lights. So why not enjoy it - or more to the point let them enjoy it - while they can.

Because before long they'll be sleeping in, bemoaning having to spend so much time with family away from their friends, dragging their feet on Christmas shopping and poo-pooing Santa photos.

Then one day, a mortgage, work and reality bites - and boom, you've got yourself a full-blown Grinch.

So if the childhood magic of Christmas means getting the decorations up in November, fine by me.