Never mind the turkey dinner, some families are ditching with tradition and logging online for unseasonably early Christmas sales beginning today.
Desperate retailers are hoping to win people over with their online discounts.
The Marks & Spencer online sale begins at noon today, while John Lewis starts at 5pm and PC World at 7pm.
Amazon has already brought forward its sale by one day to start on Christmas morning.
The high street is also gearing up for bumper Boxing Day sales too where around £2.4billion is expected to be spent.
Retailers claim the sales are starting earlier because the day before Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday meaning trading hours were slashed to just six.
They have also blamed sluggish pre-Christmas sales on the day that a report showed that up to 140 retailers, both national and independent, are facing closure across the UK and thousands more are under financial pressure.
But the early sales have sparked a row with Christian leaders who fear the true meaning of Christmas has been diminished just a little further.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey said: "Christmas Day is a time to be together with the family, to focus on the children and to have a great time together.
"This day is precious. We are now in danger of the gadgets taking over our lives and we are not in control of them."
What do you think? Has the true meaning of Christmas been lost? Or do retailers need all the help they can get to boost sales in tough times? Share your comments below.
