Ho, ho, no! Selfridges’ Christmas shop has just opened for business

Last week saw London mopping its brow during one of the hottest recorded days the city’s ever seen, which can only mean one thing… iiiiiit’s, er, Christmas!?

Well, it is if you head down to Selfridges, as the Oxford Street department store has decided to open its Christmas shop an eye-popping 149 days before Santa makes his yearly house calls, a ‘record’ two days earlier than it has opened in previous years. This means you have even longer to stock up on posh baubles and, should it take your fancy, a £100 figure of ol’ Saint Nick doing yoga.

And while it’s an annual tradition for Londoners to grumble about the increasingly early festive presence around the capital (Christmas decorations in stock before it’s even Halloween – have you no respect?!?), it is particularly galling being bombarded with sleighs and snow globes when your body temperature's only just dipped below boiling point.

For things to do that are more calendar-appropriate, try our guide to summer 2019 in London.