Merry Christmas!

You can pick up a pink or purple one of these from Selfridges

I was thrilled to read that Selfridges in London has now opened its Christmas shop, and that – should I be inclined – I can stock up on “baubles adorned with Union flags as well as ‘We Love England’ and ‘We Love London’ slogans”.

A Selfridges spokeswoman is quoted as saying that “It gets earlier and earlier every year” (as if we didn’t know that already), but then suggests that it’s our own fault – “We wouldn’t launch it now unless we thought there was a market for it”.

Surely this is cobblers? Admittedly, the article suggests that Selfridges’ main motivation in opening its Christmas shop in August is to “maximise profits from the tourist trade”, rather than from those of us who still think – with 137 days to go – that Christmas can wait a bit longer. Even so, are tourists who visit London at the height of summer really prioritising buying Christmas decorations? I just don’t believe it (but am happy to be proved wrong by any Selfridges-bound tourists out there).

Meanwhile, should summer ever arrive here in the UK, it’s comforting to know that we can pick up a bright pink Christmas tree; try and find a barbecue or set of garden furniture, though, and you can bet that all the stock has already been sold off in the July sales.