The Winchester Christmas lights are scheduled to be turned on on the 18th of November two days earlier than last year. Everything feels a little staged and pretentious to me at the moment.

No I have not become the student equivalent of Scrooge or the Grinch, I just miss the time when Christmas actually meant something. If this trend is set to continue, then they might as well make Advent calendars that cover the month of November as well.

I can understand that Christmas has become a huge money making industry and the corporate world needs to exploit the market earlier than usual in these troubled financial times. Surely they must realize that they are destroying the values and spirit of the holiday season in the process? After all, how does Argos selling cheap Action Man toys, fit in with the celebration of a baby born in a stable over two thousand years ago?

The story of Christmas is simple; the marketing of Christmas is a complex business.

Some would argue that as a society we now rely on this exploitation of Christmas because of the money it generates for businesses, but is this really true?

Money will always replace money  and a lot of smaller and financially stable European countries revel in a much more family orientated, less-commercialized version of Christmas. I will always remember a story my Grandmother told me of a British Christmas in the 1940’s, where her stocking was filled with oranges, chocolates and pennies. It’s actually a scary thought to imagine the reaction of one of the kids from this 'Hannah Montana' generation opening a parcel with an orange, chomp and 10p coin stuffed inside; World War 3 perhaps?

But then again maybe it’s contradictory for me to say any of this because I consistently buy into the Christmas propaganda myself. Buying and receiving expensive gifts year after year, I just wish there was another way.