Christmas is three months away but already retailers are embracing the festive season.
Christmas decorations can be seen in shop windows and pre-Christmas sales are enticing shoppers to spend some of their hard-earned cash.
The Christmas Heirloom Company opened its doors on October 1 and Tauranga store owner Jeni Mudgway said she
had noticed a lot of positivity from customers even though the store had been open only for a week and a half.
"Although it seems like it's early to promote Christmas, it's all been very positive," she said. "Some (Christmas) shops are even open all year."
A retail owner, who did not want to be named, said early promotion of Christmas could sometimes be intimidating for customers but, as a business owner, putting decorations out early could be good for business.
"We've had people coming in and asking us where our Christmas decorations are but we really don't put them out until early December.
But the owner of Piccadilly Greeting Cards, Allen Hickson, thinks it's not too early to promote Christmas and started selling Christmas cards about eight weeks ago.
"A lot of people try and write their cards early, so they don't have to do it all in one go.
"People tend to buy Christmas cards earlier because they have to be sent.
"Also, people buy them early so they can get the best selection," he said.
Over the last two years, many people had faced financial hardship but Mr Hickson said Christmas was the busiest time of the year.
"It's a really good season and people seem to be happier and in better moods."
But the joys of Christmas are not shared by all, and the early promotion of Christmas seems to make some people miserable.
Word on the street shows a divide in opinion - shoppers either support celebrating Christmas early or are passionately against it.
One shopper on Grey St said it was far too early to promote Christmas and that she was in no hurry to start buying Christmas decorations and gifts.
