Christmas comes early to combat an 'awful year'

Christmas is starting early for some in a bid to bring some cheer to what has been an 'awful year'.

Sue Knight, from Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, has already put up her tree in a bid to spread some cheer after facing illness and redundancy.

After posting pictures of her decorations on social media she found other people doing the same.

One Christmas tree seller said people are buying early and added it is the first time he has sold some in October.

"We've had a really awful year," Ms Knight said.

"I just thought why not?"

She lost her job at a haulage firm, was involved in a car accident which left her "out of action for a few months" and her daughter's wedding was cancelled.

"We all know it's two months before Christmas but it's helped us through the bleakness of this year... give us some fun and people can think what they want, it's our fun, our house, our Christmas," she said.

Her post showing her decorations attracted about 400 comments with some people saying they too had started Christmas early.

"I had a few ladies saying on the post that they'd put theirs up and a few others said 'I'm going to do mine'", she said.

One of the comments said: "Good on them! This year has been a mess.

"Anything that cheers people up and helps their mental wellbeing has to be a good thing."

The commenter, Lisa Miller, said she could not bring herself to put up her tree but had instead "compromised with a Halloween tree".

Charlie Reynolds of Keele Christmas Tree Farm, in Staffordshire, said despite not being open yet he had already sold about 10 trees.

"We're just here setting up and people see the gates open and come in.

"We've never sold them this early before, I just think people need something to look forward to, they just want to start Christmas now, they don't want to wait."

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