Is September Too Early to Start Preparing for Christmas?

September has arrived. The children are back at school, autumn is beginning to make itself felt and Christmas is still more than three months away.

So, naturally, some of us are starting to think about Christmas.

But is September simply far too early?

There are broadly two schools of thought. The first can probably be summed up by the wonderfully uncompromising philosophy: “If you can’t get Christmas things done in one day, they don't need to be done.”

Buy the presents, put up the decorations, purchase the food and get on with it. Preferably sometime around 23 December.

For people in this camp, seeing Christmas cards, wrapping paper and decorations appearing in the shops during September can provoke something approaching horror.

And, actually, there’s something rather appealing about their approach. Christmas shouldn’t become a four-month endurance event.

But here at That’s Christmas 365, we think there’s another way of looking at it.

Starting preparations in September doesn’t mean putting the tree up or serving mince pies for breakfast. It can simply mean spreading the workload, and the cost.

September is an excellent time to start making a Christmas present list. If you spot the perfect gift for somebody now, why wait until December to buy it?

It’s also a good opportunity to start looking for unusual presents from independent retailers, craft fairs, charity shops and small businesses. Leaving everything until the last minute often means settling for whatever happens to be available.

Early preparation is particularly useful if you make your own presents. Homemade jams, chutneys, knitted gifts, Christmas cakes, infused drinks, crafts and personalised decorations all take time.

There’s a financial argument, too. Buying a few presents during September, October and November can be much easier on the household budget than attempting to pay for Christmas almost entirely from December’s income.

You can also begin quietly putting aside non-perishable food and drink when you see genuine bargains.

However, we’d draw the line at allowing Christmas preparation to become a source of stress.

If your ideal Christmas really can be organised in one day, excellent. If you enjoy spending months planning presents, making decorations, preparing food and hunting for bargains, that’s excellent too.

Christmas should fit you – you shouldn’t have to fit Christmas.

So is September too early?

For putting the turkey in the oven, definitely.

For putting up the tree? We’ll let you argue about that one.

But for making lists, spreading the cost, finding interesting presents and enjoying a little anticipation?

We reckon September is just about perfect.

What about you? Are you already preparing for Christmas, or do you refuse to even think about it until December?