Comments on: 2016 Christmas shopping: underway

2016 Christmas shopping: underway

Wordshore — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:21:37 -0800

As the (northern hemisphere) summer rapidly disappears, the nights draw in and temperatures plummet, so the English are Christmas shopping. Seasonal foods appear on shelves, while the Selfridges Christmas store is now open and big supermarkets flag the approaching holiday. At Harrods, the Christmas range has been launched, while in Derbyshire Christmas pudding production is ramping up, and inns and hotels in towns such as Durham compete for Christmas Day meal bookings. For shoppers too impatient to wait, the 2014 British video game "Christmas Shopper Simulator" (play through). Days to go.

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:28:35 -0800

Huh. Crazy! It's weird, because over here in America we have Christmas on December 25th, so for us it's another six months until then. ...

By: infini

infini — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:33:50 -0800

I did notice though that the sun had already set by 10pm and I was sad that winter was almost here again.

By: duffell

duffell — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:42:32 -0800

Given the giant shit sandwich that has been 2016, I'm fine with 4+ months of Christmas starting now.

By: entropicamericana

entropicamericana — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:45:05 -0800

i see the war on christmas has been as successful as the wars on drugs and terrorism

By: GenjiandProust

GenjiandProust — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:45:08 -0800

I had heard that, as part of Brexit, the UK was going to have to give up Christmas forever....

By: roger ackroyd

roger ackroyd — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:45:40 -0800

Merry BreXmas

By: dng

dng — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:46:36 -0800

We'll replace it with Crossmass, the world's most furious gift-giving festival ever.

By: the uncomplicated soups of my childhood

the uncomplicated soups of my childhood — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:47:05 -0800

I thought it was bad that they were putting up the Halloween stuff at the dollar store.

By: turbid dahlia

turbid dahlia — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:48:02 -0800

I need Christmas Shopper Simulator immediately.

By: Mike Mongo

Mike Mongo — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:56:20 -0800

All I know is its 321 days until summer solstice 2017, Northern hemisphere. Winter is for suckers. Even Santa likes a tan.

By: Talez

Talez — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 15:58:22 -0800

Huh. Crazy! It's weird, because over here in America we have Christmas on December 25th, so for us it's another six months until then. I know this year has gone by slowly but it's August. We're less than five months away from Christmas.

By: indubitable

indubitable — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:08:38 -0800

is british christmas on 12/25 like the rest of the world? i'm trying to gauge how odd this is for a country that has an entire holiday dedicated to fist fights.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:08:45 -0800

How are MeFites progressing with their Christmas shopping? Anyone finished yet?

By: billiebee

billiebee — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:28:16 -0800

At first I thought "FUCK THIS SHIT TO HELL AND BACK" and then I thought "ooh though at least it'll soon be time to go Quonsmas a-stalking" and then I wept

By: psoas

psoas — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:37:56 -0800

is british christmas on 12/25 like the rest of the world? ooh, the orthodox churches will not be happy with this

By: I-baLL

I-baLL — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:43:43 -0800

Nah, it's on 25/12

By: yoga

yoga — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:53:00 -0800

Makes sense: get the shopping crap over with now & that way there's way more time for drinking during the season.

By: gusandrews

gusandrews — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:55:40 -0800

So the British like their Christmases like we Americans like our elections, eh? Painfully drawn-out?

By: datawrangler

datawrangler — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:55:49 -0800

Time to practice setting the plum pudding on fire.

By: gusandrews

gusandrews — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:56:14 -0800

just kidding nobody is having any fun over here

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:57:11 -0800

Can we please just get through the election season?

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 17:03:42 -0800

too soon!

By: thomas j wise

thomas j wise — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 17:07:03 -0800

I thought it was bad that they were putting up the Halloween stuff at the dollar store. Seriously. The local pop-up Halloween shop is already advertising for employees. Nobody is even thinking about Christmas here. Er, yet. *goes through links* I devoutly trust Sainsbury's isn't charging four pounds for one bar of Toblerone. I like Toblerone, but surely nobody likes it that much. With or without Christmas trees on it. Harrod's has...ketchup Christmas ornaments?! None of my research has prepared me for this. At some point, I should probably have Christmas pudding. In the name of scholarship, no doubt. As one of the five or six Jews in my village--that's not an exaggeration--my primary entertainment during the season involves Wegmans: 1) seeing whether or not they get the start date of Hanukkah correct (usually not--last year they had the right and the wrong date next to each other); 2) finding where they stuck all three tiny shelves of Hanukkah merch.

By: Splunge

Splunge — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 17:07:23 -0800

No, no, no, no! It's August 3rd. I haven't even seen a Halloween commercial. Yet... Yet... Probably any day now. Crass consumerism must die!

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 17:17:16 -0800

*blush* Uh....I was just on vacation in Paris, and it was one of the only two months of the year when all the shops have sales, and so I told myself that I could go shopping if I did some early Christmas shopping for people, so.... Uh, I'm nearly done with my Christmas shopping already.

By: mightshould

mightshould — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 17:32:43 -0800

"Uh, I'm nearly done with my Christmas shopping already" *kill the witch!* or am I mixing up holidays again?

By: dr_dank

dr_dank — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 18:05:12 -0800

Soon, we'll hear the classic tale of The Three Chav Men who brought the newborn British Jesus gifts of malt liquor, Burberry tracksuits, and gold chains.

By: blnkfrnk

blnkfrnk — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 18:47:45 -0800

At least malt liquor is useful to a family with a crying baby, what the hell is myrrh even Anyway, once the craft store where I used to work told us we were required to change the store Muzak to the Christmas station...the day after Halloween.

By: JoeZydeco

JoeZydeco — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 18:53:35 -0800

No, no, no, no! It's August 3rd. I haven't even seen a Halloween commercial. My Chasing Fireflies catalog arrived in my mailbox yesterday. It's time.

By: madajb

madajb — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 19:08:54 -0800

At least malt liquor is useful to a family with a crying baby, what the hell is myrrh even You're living in a stable with a newborn and Huggies won't be invented for another 2000 years. You'd appreciate some incense, I think.

By: DangerIsMyMiddleName

DangerIsMyMiddleName — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 20:57:24 -0800

The Pumpkin Spice is almost upon us. It will not be denied.

By: biffa

biffa — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:10:51 -0800

I heard my first advert for booking Christmas dinner on February 1st this year. Yes, I am in England.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 00:40:36 -0800

You think starting Christmas this early is bad, keep in mind that the Halloween stuff that's appearing in stores is for Halloween 2017.

By: billiebee

billiebee — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 01:02:30 -0800

I heard my first advert for booking Christmas dinner on February 1st this year. I was on a work night out on Friday - which was still in July btw - to a really nice restaurant and the waiter said they booked up fast for Christmas dinner, so our manager carpe diemed and booked ours for the 9th of December. Yes, our Christmas dinner is already booked - I win!!! lose? i mean lose

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 01:50:26 -0800

thought you were joking, but: Burberry tracksuit. (.ru URI for flava)

By: No-sword

No-sword — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 04:05:02 -0800

i'm trying to gauge how odd this is for a country that has an entire holiday dedicated to fist fights. What are you talking about? Thanksgiving's an American holiday.

By: sebastienbailard

sebastienbailard — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 04:48:20 -0800

What are you talking about? Thanksgiving's an American holiday. Remember 1812!

By: Mister Bijou

Mister Bijou — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 04:58:02 -0800

an entire holiday dedicated to fist fights. Ah, yes, Boxing Day!

By: citands

citands — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:49:22 -0800

You all mock, but the link about Christmas Puddings in Derbyshire was my life for the summer between college and uni. That factory is located right in the middle of my hometown. I was one of their summer labourers. I made Christmas Puddings all day everyday for three months. I used to come home stinking of booze spilt when we made the ones that had whiskey or brandy in them. Even now, nearly fifteen years later, I still can't bear the sight, the taste or, more importantly the smell, of christmas puddings. I was totally over Christmas by the time it came around.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 06:40:02 -0800

Nah, it's on 25/12 Minor derail in that today's date is 2^2/2^3/2^4 ...if you're in the UK, but if you're in the USA then it's the slightly less satisfying 2^3/2^2/2^4

By: vignettist

vignettist — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 11:25:44 -0800

I remember from back in the days when I was still in international shipping, August was the busiest month of the year for imports from Asia (to the US) because retailers were building their Christmas purchase stock. Subtract back a few months for manufacturing, ordering, and actual shipping time. Christmas is a year-round business y'all.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 13:38:04 -0800

It is snowing in Sweden.

By: infini

infini — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 13:51:25 -0800

That explains why its been cold here and raining in HEL.