Deirdre Reynolds: Christmas in November is a ‘snow’ from me

And if you agree with the above statement, please go to your nearest fishmongers immediately, for a slap around the face with a wet haddock.

The last of the All Hallow’s Eve sweet treats have barely snaked their way through digestive systems nationwide, and the annual festive onslaught is already in full swing.

So far this week, I’ve spied a Santa’s sleigh, mince pies and gift-wrapped stocking stuffers on display.

At home, there was no reprieve either, as the first lot of Christmas ads from brands including Marks & Spencer, TK Maxx and Lidl turned up on the telly, complete with compulsory down-in-the-mouth kid and cutesy computer-generated wild animal who saves the day.

Titled ‘Thank you, Santa’, the Boots offering sees a young girl and her mum winging their way to the North Pole, spreading joy as they go, gifting a scraggly-haired pilot a Dyson Airwrap as one example; and if some hirsute stranger thinks they’re getting a €600 hair styling tool from me for merely doing their job this December, they can dream on.

Fifty whole days out, it’s enough to turn any girl into Ebenezer Scrooge.

Now I know we say this every August 18, when Brown Thomas provokes national uproar by opening its Christmas Shop on exactly the same day, but is it just me or is it getting earlier each year?

What began innocently enough, with a few selection boxes popping up on supermarket shelves when they had absolutely no right to be there, has now even been given an ick-inducing name: ‘Novembermas’.

Curiously, it’s a phenomenon that only seems to strike at this time of year: you never see anyone accessorising with clumps of shamrock in January to beat the Paddy’s Day rush, or dusting down the barbecue when it’s still bucketing down in April, just in case.

If it’s meant to get us all into the jingly spirit early, it’s having the opposite effect on me, anyway.

With Irish shoppers dropping on average €1,200 on Christmas shopping in 2022, I get that many cash-strapped families may need to spread the cost of ‘Spendmas’, this year especially.

But, if it takes eight whole weeks to prepare (and pay) for one day of celebration, it may be time to reconsider your ‘naughty or nice’ list - and start nudging a few family members into the former column.

Trust me, granny will get over it if she doesn’t get another Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds gift set this December 25.

So when is the right time to start decking the halls and roasting your chestnuts on an open fire, I hear you ask?

Well, I’m not a complete Grinch, so alongside the advent calendars on December 1 seems reasonable.

Until then, it’s a ho-ho-no from me.