A new survey has revealed that 30% of Brits have apparently already started doing their Christmas shopping this year.
As much as many of us find ourselves running around the shops like headless chickens on Christmas Eve in a bid to buy all those last-minute gifts we forgot, on the flip side of that, we all know a few organised people who like to get their presents bought and wrapped well in advance so they can enjoy a relatively stress-free festive season.
But is September just a bit too early to start? Apparently not for three in 10 Brits.
According to a new survey by American Express – of which some 2,000 people nationwide took part – a surprising 30% of adults who celebrate or shop for Christmas in the UK have already started buying things for the festive period.
Presents for others were the most-common items already in the basket, but while gifts may be the obvious one, that’s not all.
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30% of Brits have already started doing their Christmas shopping / Credit: Freestocks (via Unsplash)
As well as this, some have also admitted to grabbing things like wrapping paper and gift bags, Christmas cards, and decorations too.
Not only that, but as festive food and drink becomes a more common occurrence on shop shelves nationwide, and with many of the UK’s leading supermarket chains having already released their Christmas menu offerings this year, a good chunk of the survey respondents have also owned-up to buying themed snacks with long sell-by dates.
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Nearly four-fifths (79%) also say they feel it’s important to support local businesses when doing their shopping for the festive season.
Presents for others were the most-common items already in the basket / Credit: Pxhere | Kerkez (via iStock)
And when it comes to money, among those survey respondents who have started their seasonal spending, it was revealed that they have already spent an average of £94 on gifts, but closer to £110 when taking into account everything else they’ve bought.
Speaking on the survey results, Andrei Ciripitca – who is the Vice President at American Express – called the festive period “an important time for businesses and shoppers alike”.
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo and they’re so cute
Emily Sergeant
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo… and they’re really flipping cute.
Born to parents Maris and Albert in late summer, the three rock hyrax pups – only affectionately known as ‘chaos potatoes’ – have just passed their first vet check with a clean bill of health, and now weigh roughly 350g.
Hyraxes are found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, where they live among rocky landscapes and are most active in daylight.
The litter includes two boys and one girl, and keepers at Chester Zoo have decided to give them potato-themed names – Russ, Spud, and Jackie.
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
Currently, the three pups are a fraction of the size of the adults, which can weigh up to 4kg, but despite their small stature, they have an unlikely relative.
Believe it or not, rock hyraxes are actually a part of the same evolutionary group as elephants, as well as sirenians, which are the family of aquatic mammals that includes dugongs and manatees.
“Hyraxes are one of those species that you have to look for, but once you’ve seen them, they are fascinating to watch,” explained Megan Carpenter, who is a Keeper at Chester Zoo.
“The pups are little chaos potatoes. They are much more energetic than their parents and sometimes get the zoomies, darting about and testing their climbing and parkour skills.
“In contrast, the adults often wedge themselves into corners and grip on to steep rock faces for hours at a time. They’re incredibly well adapted to living among rocks and are much better climbers than you might expect.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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A TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Do you think it’s too early for the ‘C word’? Never mind, you’ve already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn’t exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner – but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right – Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there’s arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that’s charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it’s now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films – including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd September 2023 
