I’m sure I saw some Christmassy here in the U.K. at the end of September - there is no “oofficial” start to the whole madness, but the shops just love to keep starting earlier.
GRRRRRRRRR
And of course, it makes it more difficult to find normal things in normal places as they are moved for the blasted xmas stuff.
Blech!
Oh, and bah, humbug too.
I supose the closest thing we in London have to an “official” start to Christmas shopping time is the turning on of the Regent St/Oxford St lights by a g-list celebrity, this year Will Young (Don’t ask, really, don’t ask) on November 14th.
The big tree in Trafalgar Square is another high point (thank you Norway). This happens on 11th December.
The shops are full of Christmas cobblers already.
I’m on the lookout for the first Easter egg. I expect they will be in the shops anyday now. 
As the other Aussies have said, mid-October is about when the shops start putting up decorations. I don’t think it’s getting earlier every year though. I’m sure I remember seeing Christmas stuff late one September in the late 80s. I think they’ve pulled back a bit.
There are about three days in the year when it’s not Christmas, Easter, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, etc.
Generally, the hotter it gets, the more snow the shops pile on. Nothing like a Victorian Christmas window display slowly melting in the direct sunshine of a 110F day. When fake snow melts, you know you’ve got a problem. 
Teehee
When I lived in Canada, I noticed Christmas decorations up as early as the end of October. Usually in Yellowknife they would be put up earlier, because it’s not easy to decorate in really cold, wintery conditions.
I think your calendar makers have mixed it up with “Labour Thanksgiving Day”, yhe equivalent of Labour Day in western cultures. Its really a non-event over here, just an excuse for people to get another day off.
Christmas is very commercial over here…shops start displaying Christmas stuff in early November, Christmas themed TV commercials started in mid-November, and everything is gone from the stores by Boxing Day in preparation for New Year (which is a much bigger deal).
Personally, my family puts up the tree on 1 December, and takes it down on Boxing Day.
Weather-wise, Christmas in Matsuyama to me is weird because its cold but there’s no snow. If it has to be cold, I’d at least like it white, too!
Earlier every year. (UK)
One day we will start start the Christmas holiday season in January.
It is inevitable.
Seen November 21, Coles, Wynyard. A supermarket nearer to home is already selling Hot (well, actually cold) Cross Buns.
I started seeing shop decorations going up in the last week of September this year. This annoys me greatly, because they’re often accompanied by Christmas carols. I don’t know about anyone else, but there’s something about songs of peace, love and goodwill toward all mankind that make me want to stab someone in the eye with an ice pick.
Well, it is a little odd when all the cards, and displays and decorations are covered in snow and reindeer and the like, and it never snows in Auckland (even in winter) and a reindeer would likely melt on the better days.
But no, not really weird, it’s just what you’re used to – BBQs and cold cuts and going to the beach.
What was really weird was when I was working in Canada in July, and the office back in NZ decided to have a Mid-winter Christmas, so we decided to have one too, and had a mid-summer-mid-winter Christmas, and got dressed to the nines and went out for dinner. People looked at us a little oddly as we pulled Christmas crackers and opened prezzies.
I agree with what everyone has said about it being earlier every year. But for me personally, the real start of Christmas is when Myer puts its windows up…
For this year’s windows see here
For previous windows see [http://www.myer.com.au/about/xmaswindowhistory.asp]here There are links so you can see the windows from 1999 on…
Back in 1989, when I was working in a hardware store, I had to put an Xmas tree in the window on the 1st October :rolleyes:.
There is at least one exception to the rule that no country other than the US and Canada celebrates Thanksgiving. In Germany we have the Erntedankfest, which is a celebration of the end of the harvest season. Apparently it’s on September 29.
For more information see: http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/erntdank.htm
But this holiday is nowhere as important as in the US. I haven’t heard anything about it since (chatolic) kindergarten.
Here in Alberta it was pretty much the same as in BC… Christmas stuff out almost before Halloween… I saw Halloween stuff on sale in one been and Christmas stuff next to it at Wal-Mart… unbelievable…
On the up side, as an American living in Canada, We celebrate TWO count 'em… Thanksgivings…woo hoo.
I don’t see why Jjimm doesn’t understand that Thanskgiving is a harvest festival and there is one in many cultures. But I think the Christmas shopping season starts on Dec. 26 :). Actually, Nov. 1 is probably right in Canada.
What drives me nuts is that it seems to be compulsory for British stores to play that “Christmas hits” tape - you know the one, “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, “Merry Christmas Everybody”, “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime” etc. - non-stop from mid-November.
Last year I actually went shopping wearing earplugs, something I highly recommend. It was bliss.
For Australia, what **robinc308 ** said.
The Coles Myser group take about 30% of Australian retail sales … so when they deck out the Melbourne city store’s windows, that’s as near as dammit official.
for “Coles Myser” please read “Coles Myer”
I’m just sick of the ‘snow’ motif in everything, when it’s 40 degrees C here, for pity’s sake. Why can’t we have our own identity for Xmas, like something appropriately summery.
Well, the Christmas lights are now up on Aleksanterinkatu, which means that the Yuletide season has officially begun in Helsinki. Now, all the stores can FINALLY legitimately stick “Christmas” in front of every sales pitch they make.
Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands on December 5th. [the original "Santa Claus"btw]
At the beginning of November we’re getting sick of all the “peppernuts”, shoes being put in front of the central heating [for a lack of an open fire] and kids making wish-lists.
On December 6th, the trees and …YES; Santa Claus appears.