I totally agree with you about it not too early to be thinking about xmas. i always begin my holiday shopping in june because i have five grandchildren, two children and their spouces, plus two sisters. i also have a few close friends that i like to get a gift for. my grandchildrens birthdays all fall around the holiday months as well as my sister's and my other adult family members. so we can save money by getting the couples one gift for x'mas but all four have b'day between september thru march. durring 5 months of the year sept thru april the birthdays and christmas keep everyone's budget very tight. so i have 2 containers full of gifts already bought. happy holidays lol