Christmas and countdowns

beachkid's daily countdown reminded me of something I was wondering about: what is going on with shops and stores?

Daily countdown? Excellent idea, in spite of the slight hint of panic it's inducing in me at the far too rapidly approaching holiday.

Christmas tree, fully decorated in the foyer of Tesco's? Terrible idea! It's the beginning of November, for crying out loud! ::stops channeling Col. Jack O'Neill:: I bought some Christmas cards from a card shop in the summer and assumed (oh foolish me) that was a mid-summer sale to get rid of old stock. Now I suspect it was a harbinger of things to come.

Tesco's have been selling cards and Christmas decorations for weeks now - and their seasonal aisle is filled with Christmas stuff, alcohol gift sets, tins of chocolate and chocolate decorations (which isn't actually so bad - but that's the chocoholic in me talking), and the like.

So I ask you: what's going on? Did someone decide to move Christmas and no one told me (in which case Beachkid's countdown is out)? Or have the stores decided to start early this year, and make us all hate Christmas by the time the day actually rolls around?