Is August too early to start your Christmas shopping?
Not according to one Helensburgh businesswoman, who joined a live TV debate today.
Wearing a Christmas jumper and surrounded by advent calendars and nativity scenes in her West Clyde Street shop, Toni Taylor of The Olde Christmas Shoppe took part in Jeremy Vine’s programme on Channel 5.
Guests in the studio – which featured a Christmas tree for the occasion – said early Christmas shopping was ‘depressing’ and diluted the Christmas spirit, but Toni said she started her festive shopping in February and enjoyed Christmas all year round.
She said the Christmas shop was open 364 days of the year, as it closed on Christmas Day itself shop.
Asked whether it felt wrong to think about Christmas when people were heading to the beach in summer, she said: ” Not when yo walk in here, because you get the nice dark Christmas-y feel, the Christmas-y scent, and all the pretty lights.
“What you find is that if all the early Christmas shoppers come in to get themselves in the mood before they go shopping.”
Toni – who ended her appearance by wishing everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year – has previously appeared on radio programmes, including Jeremy Vine’s on Radio 2, to discuss all things festive.
Last month Tesco advised customers to start their Christmas shopping early, because of rising food prices, and on Saturday the Times reported that Christmas shopping was starting earlier than ever this year.
And despite the studio guests’ misgivings, a majority of the people who phoned in to today’s programme backed the idea of starting early.
Leave a Reply