Good afternoon dear reader, and may I be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas this year?
It is very much the end of August as I write this, and I am eating a mince pie. I like a mince pie and generally avail myself of them from the moment they are on sale in my local supermarket. Indeed it has been something of an ‘almost-Christmas’ tradition for me to gorge on them so much in October and November that I’m a little bit sick of them by the time Christmas proper rolls around. Which is fine, because at that point there are plenty of other treats to overindulge in and the mince pie is largely surplus to requirements.
That Christmas comes to the supermarkets long before December is nothing new. But my understanding was, until recently, that retail outlets normally have the decency to wait until autumn before promoting the winter festival. Last year I noted with some dismay that festive produce was available as early as September. I expect I would have blogged about it, but in I was on something of a blogging hiatus at the time due to reasons I forget, but probably the usual reason that I’m a parent of two small children who take up a lot of what I once considered to be my free time.
It’s perhaps just as well, because had I written that post, it would not have stood the test of time. For less than a year later, it is clear that Christmas has come even earlier to my local supermarket. The last time I checked, August was very much considered a summer month.
I was in said supermarket, with the aforementioned children, trying to con them into believing that going food shopping is the same thing as a fun day out. Weirdly they both seem to buy this fallacy, although in fairness, Mini Proclaims does get to sit in the trolley, which is probably quite fun and Little Proclaims does enjoy visiting the toy aisle. Since she turned six a few weeks ago, she has been in receipt of pocket money, which, according to her understanding of the world, means she can buy whatever she wants. At present the going rate is a poultry £1 a week, but she did have some birthday money to spend as well, so she very much enjoyed her first few days as a person of means. Then she ran out of money and learnt a lesson that we’ve all had to learn at some point.
For Little Proclaims, Christmas (and the related acquisition of stuff she currently can’t afford) can’t come soon enough. But it is still ages away. So we were both by pretty surprised to discover a large display of Christmas fayre available to buy today (‘both’ referring to Little Proclaims and I – Mini Proclaims, being two is simultaneously surprised by everything and nothing). Alongside the mince pies were Christmas puddings, stollen slices and hollow chocolate Santas. And a whole array of other festive-themed goodies.
I was appalled.
Appalled!
So appalled in fact that I put a box of mince pies into my trolley.
It is a farcical situation. The ‘Before’ date on the box is the 4th October, which means they would be almost three months out of date by the time a certain jolly red-suited man tries to squeeze down the chimney. It is traditional to leave a mince pie out for old Père Noël (along with a glass of milk or something more medicinal depending on the values of the individual household he visits). I think Santa deserves an ‘in date’ festive treat when he visits my home, and I can’t run the risk of August mince pies slipping through the net. So I feel it is my public duty to buy and consume all the mince pies I see in the next few months.
You are welcome.
James Proclaims! 
17 responses to “‘Tisn’t The Season… ‘Tis It?”
I would comment at length but I’m just on my way to the supermarket to see if they have stocks in yet! Merry Christmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure they do. It can’t just be my supermarket. But happy to send you a Christmas ‘care package’ if needs be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always eat my mince pies with a single malt whisky to follow!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So you’re that kind of Santa! I’ll send you a glass of milk.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, since several major websites were having “Black Friday in July” sales I guess it’s not too surprising. I like mince pies but I think ours are probably different from yours, though I haven’t gone and looked it up in quite a while, just something I seem to remember. But, I am proud to be following such a public-spirited blogger who will do what he can to keep consumers safe from expiration dates.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am intrigued about the transatlantic differences in mince pies. I need to investigate this further.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When my daughter-in-law offered to make me a mince pie for Christmas one year I had to look up some recipes. I found that some of the recipes from the UK contained hamburger but the ones that my Grandmother made (which my D-I-L made beautifully) were called mincemeat pies but only had currants and raisins and a bunch of stuff that I can’t remember but not meat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never come across a mince pie with meat in it in the UK (and I’ve been eating them for well over forty years at this point). I believe the original mince pies in the days of yore did have meat in them, but ours are as fruit-based as yours these days. It doesn’t surprise me that there are meat recipes out there, but that would be a very niche market and definitely not the ones you can buy in supermarkets, which are have a ‘vegetarian-friendly’ logo on the box. McDonalds do a deep-fried mince pie some Christmases, which is annoyingly delicious – I assumed that was the US take on the whole thing but now I’m thinking that might just be the UK arm of McDonalds and you enjoy the same classic mince pies that we do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw man! I would LOVE if our McD’s did that at Christmas. They are very hard to find here in Colorado and I’m not a baker. My daughter-in-law can’t bake anymore after her stroke so I have to wait. I did find Walker brand from Scotland on Amazon so all is not lost but I have to really be desparate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I imagine the Walker mince pie is pretty good. We are spoilt over here with our mince pie choices. If you want to really treat yourself look up Betty’s in Harrogate. Best mince pies ever and they ship to other countries. Expensive even in the UK but so so good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Their site looks incredible, for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes well, sadly no mince pie ever makes its sell-by date in this house.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for supporting the cause. I’m not sure I can do this alone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have your back 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a hard and fast rule here that no one does Christmas advertising or displays until after Remembrance Day in November. Thank goodness!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I thought we had until Halloween at least. It’s madness to have Christmas displays in August. Then again if hypocrites like me actually buy the stuff in those displays then we’ve really only got ourselves to blame…
LikeLiked by 1 person
But it’s so tempting when it’s right there!
LikeLiked by 1 person