IT’S official: Christmas actually starts in October.

Even before scary Halloween or Bonfire Night, the decorations and presents are in the shops, the festive adverts are starting up on the telly and presumably Father Christmas is in the starting blocks and almost ready for the off.

Where once the Christmas festivities began to be visible from mid to late November, now it’s crept forward to late October. Garden centres are likely to have got at least the bulk of their decorative displays twinkling away and the very savvy shoppers have already bought their gifts and probably wrapped them as well.

It’s a great shame that we have made this season so commercial that not only does it no longer revolve around Christ’s birthday for the majority of people but that we spread out the cheer as early as possible so we can indulge longer. But is it really any better?