Jingle tills...and it's only August!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at one Preston store - and many people still haven't had their summer holidays!
Kimmy Davies gets into the festive spirit at Barton GrangeKimmy Davies gets into the festive spirit at Barton Grange
Kimmy Davies gets into the festive spirit at Barton Grange

But while Barton Grange Garden Centre isn’t the first shop in the UK to deck its halls with boughs of holly this year, it isn’t far off.

Staff at the award-winning Barton Grange were spotted putting out their Christmas cards and wrapping paper on August 2, making them possibly the first in Lancashire to get into the festive spirit with a mere 144 shopping days remaining.

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“Building our impressive Christmas displays takes a long time, so preparations have to start early,” said Kate Ford, who works at the centre.

“Cards and gift wrap are always the first Christmas items to appear on the shop floor. We find that many customers are happy to be able to make early purchases of these Christmas essentials.”

Barton Grange garden centre on the A6 north of Preston has good reason to get festive early.

In seven of the nine years since it moved to its site at Brock, the store has won the national award for the best Christmas displays in any UK garden centre.

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Members of the display team are currently working behind the scenes getting this year’s showstoppers ready.

Selfridges in Oxford Street, London, became the first department store in the world to open a dedicated Christmas store in July.

And even on the first day the tills were jingling with festive sales.

The company is leading what has become known as the “Christmas creep” by starting earlier every year.

According to statisticians, Brits now start thinking about Christmas in August.

That’s approximately three months earlier than they did in 2007.