‘Christmas creep’ has gone too far this time

For sale in the village shop last week: punnets of locally-grown strawberries, multicoloured bucket-and-spade sets, postcards featuring British beach scenes… and no fewer than 14 varieties of Christmas bauble. Down the street at the Post Office, you can buy Christmas cards, tinsel – in green, red or sparkly silver – and wrapping paper festooned with candy canes. The garden centre, meanwhile, is doing a roaring trade in tins of festive shortbread (expiry date: 26 October). Christmas, so the saying goes, comes but once a year. And this year, it seems to have come during a baking hot August.

Before you suggest I live in a sort of Yuletide wormhole, it’s happening nationwide. At John Lewis, sales of baubles and faux trees are three times higher than they were this time last year, with 100 festive products currently available on its website. At Lakeland, you can buy Christmas modelling kits, DIY gingerbread houses and assorted stocking fillers, while advent calendars – by beauty brands including Laura Ashley, Joules and Benefit – went on sale at Boots this month.