[Drivingforfun]

When do you think is too soon for Christmas related things, like shops going Christmassy or putting lights on your house?

I saw a house in early November with a Christmas tree in it and thought it a bit soon. It doesn't bother me, I think it's fun, but for me I'd say around early December...

I can understand shops doing it early as people budget for Christmas in the last months of the year, they don't do it all in December. But I tend to ignore the Christmas displays till November...

I don't like to judge in all honesty, but just thought it an interesting topic!

You never know someone's situation - I vaguely know someone who had a son in the army and his closest leave to Christmas was in October, so his mother put up decorations to have Christmas when he was at home... sadly he never came home and she now still puts her decorations up at that same time every year

[Rolebama]

My wife does all our Christmas shopping. Starting in January! Prezzies are bought on a 'saw this and thought of you' basis throughout the year.
I think the daftest thing I have seen was when I saw a huge Santa and Sleigh on the side of the Harlequin Centre at Watford some years ago, in August!?
It rankles a little when I go shopping with the wife and find usual stock missing because they have filled the shelves with Xmas stuff in October. All-in-all I think the beginning to the middle of December is plenty early enough for this.

Had to laugh when I saw a box of crackers labelled as 'The Grinch'. On the box, in not over-large print it said: No banger, hat, motto or present in these crackers. (I think it was in The Range in Stevenage.)

[olduser]

I think I have an idea for a novel but useful Christmas present, presentation is the problem.
The idea is to pay off some of the recipients credit card debt but would it be best to send a card saying, "I have paid £x of your card" or have the credit card company send a card saying, "so and so has paid £x off your credit card"? 😐

[Rolebama]

I don't know about Credit Cards, but I tried to put some money into my wife's bank account last Xmas. I was told I can't do this because they can't check the origin of cash. I had to do an etransfer.

[Mark07]

I may be mis-remembering, but I think decorations seemed to go up a little earlier during lockdown - presumedly as those people wanted something to celebrate.

I wonder if some of those people have gotten into the habit of putting decorations up a little early. Mid-late November is roughly when i first notice the odd tree appearing in houses near me - though I expect the majority to appear from early Dec.

As for shops, I've just come to expect their Christmas ranges to appear from 1st November. It always make me smile when i see some items with sell by dates before 25th Dec.

[NMNeil]

How about mid September?
https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2...fordable-meals
We went to Walmart yesterday and outside the store, just like every year they have someone from the Salvation Army ringing a bell for donations to worthy causes. The only difference is the cry wasn't "Happy holidays" (They don't use the word Christmas due to WOKE pressure) but "Happy Thanksgiving". And a friend of ours a few years back commented how expensive the bicycle was that he bought for his daughter as an Easter present!
Worlds gone mad.

[NMNeil]

Every Christmas morning I tell the wife what she bought me and she tells me what I bought her.
Never disappointed with our 'gifts'
(Last year she bought me a new 1911 and this year she bought me a new carburetor for my tractor)

[Rolebama]

Well, I, for one. don't think it's too early to wish all concerned with this Forum a Very Merry Christmas, and a Really Good New Year.

[olduser]

And now - drum roll - it's the sales - fanfare!😟

[NMNeil]

Originally Posted by olduser

And now - drum roll - it's the sales - fanfare!😟

My local Walmart has already put most of the Christmas ornaments and other associated junk back into storage. The empty shelves did'nt stay empty for too long though 🙄
https://www.walmart.com/cp/valentines-day/1091064

[olduser]

When I was working on energy meters, I was sent to a job to do visual check on an electric domestic meter.
The customer was concerned, the meter had started to run faster than normal, and the bill for the winter quarter had been very high last year?

When I got there, the address was in a street in Kings Lynn where the neighbours were competing with Christmas lights outdoors, "we do it for the children".

The house had lights along the eves, these ran down to the hedges around the front garden, the door was framed with lights, and a tree in the garden had lights over it.
There was an illuminated Farther christmas on the ridge near the chimney with sledge and reindeers on the lawn.

Walking into the door, it was all a bit bright but I didn't take much notice, got in and looked at the meter, and yes it was going round reasonably for a house.

I start with the questions, what have you got turned on, cooker, electric fire, immersion heater, washing machine or dryer?
Householder says no, only the TV, and a light, florescent light in the kitchen, youngster upstairs had a light on a 1 bar fire, and record player plus lights outside.
Rough estimate would be no more than 1.4 Kw for the house plus lights outside.
The meter was running much faster than that, OK best look at the lights.

The door was framed with 15 watt pygmy bulbs, the wire was 3.029 twin with earth, house wiring cable, the lamp holders were clamped onto the cable, they were a type that pierced the insulation as they were clamped on.
I ask about the rest, the out line lights, the door, hedge and tree were all the same 15 watt pygmy bulbs clamped on, I ask how many bulbs?
He didn't know other than one about every 10 inches or so.

I could not convince him that there would 2 maybe 3 Kw load in the lights plus his other display items. (66 X 15w = 1000 w roughly)

In the end I got him to turn the lights and display off, and of course the meter settled back much slower.
Turn everything off in the house and put outside on, meter ran faster than just the house alone.

Also, there was no guarantee the lamp holders were water proof, and there was 240 volts involved!
He countered with but its safe there is an earth!
Next question, where is the earth wire earthed, and on that pattern of lamp holder there are only two connection points, also what have you done at the end of the cable, it turned out to be nothing!
And the previous year it had been snowed on then it thawed!

I did not have the authority to make him turn them off, all I could do was report it as dangerous use, and recommend to him he got an isolation transformer of about 5 Kw capacity, and get an electrician to wire it in, and to turn off his homemade lights until he had got one, the bought in displays looked to be low voltage so OK.

He told me he had bought a couple of sacks full of the lamp holder's and and several boxes of coloured lamps at an auction.

I left thinking, I hope you have a happy Christmas not a tragic one.

[Drivingforfun]

I just had a whole pot of brandy sauce to save it going in the bin

I looked at the ingredients and it's got 7% brandy in, which assuming 40% abv would mean there's 1.4 units in the pot ... so about 1 litre of it and you'd be borderline unfit to drive, maybe 2-3 gallons of it to get drunk, but after 3 gallons of double cream that'd be the least of your worries

No reason for posting, just I always seem to play around with the numbers in my head when I look at stuff like this ... plus I'm under the influence of the brandy sauce

[Drivingforfun]

@olduser as a millennial brought up with products with instructions saying I can't change the battery or take the plug off without voiding the warranty, I'm often impressed at what you're "allowed" to do when it comes to DIY in your own home. I can rewire something or fit an outside tap without hiring someone to do it, and no-one will come and tell me off?? Your post makes me want to wonder if that's always a good thing 😕

[PeterLangham]

Christmas is over already. We enjoyed a lot with family members.