The Christmas Creep: How to Identify the Early Bird Shopper

The phenomenon known as ‘Christmas creep’ means holiday-themed items are appearing in stores earlier each year. This year, for example, M&S Merry Malt Balls were available starting September 2. While some may lament this extended holiday season, a segment of the population embraces it fully: the Christmas prepper.

These individuals are characterized by their extreme preparedness and early engagement with holiday shopping and activities.

One tell-tale sign of a Christmas prepper is their shopping cart, which is often filled with festive items long before other shoppers are considering Halloween. They capitalize on early deals, loading up on discounted Christmas chocolates and selection boxes, with some stores even beginning to sell these items as early as August.

Beyond shopping, preppers are often found meticulously crafting Christmas cards. Lists of recipients are drafted months in advance, and cards purchased during post-holiday sales are written in longhand, often by early autumn. This practice is seen as a practical measure, especially considering rising postal costs.

Their dedication extends to securing crucial services, such as Christmas delivery slots. For instance, Waitrose opened its delivery slots at midnight on September 30, and M&S released its slots on September 22, with preppers being among the first to book.

Christmas preppers also tend to follow dedicated holiday influencers, frequently encountering ‘Countdown to Christmas’ posts on social media. Their approach is often described as meticulous and joyless, involving detailed planning such as downloading festive countdown PDFs and undertaking elaborate preparations like soaking fruit for Christmas cake or decorating spaces to resemble winter scenes.

The scale of their preparation can be particularly evident in their home freezers, which are often large enough to store a substantial amount of holiday food, including turkeys, puddings, and other trimmings, well in advance.

These preppers are also the ones who begin inquiring about readiness for Christmas during the summer heatwaves. By December, they typically exhibit a calm demeanor, having already completed their preparations and ready to enjoy the season without the last-minute rush.

The task of wrapping presents, often a stressful last-minute activity for many, is handled effortlessly by the Christmas prepper. They are known to complete this task with ribbons and gift tags as early as April.

For those with young children, the ‘Elf on the Shelf’ tradition can be a source of stress. However, Christmas preppers often see this as an opportunity to shine, meticulously planning and executing a 24-day narrative for the toy.

Furthermore, the trend of creating Christmas Eve boxes, popular on social media, is also embraced by preppers. They go a step further by curating elaborate boxes, sometimes featuring personalized items like monogrammed pajamas, popcorn, hot chocolate, and custom baubles.

Even on Christmas Day, while others are still enjoying festive meals, preppers are already planning for the following year, engaging in online shopping for post-holiday sales and securing bargains for the next holiday season.