LET’S HAVE CHRISTMAS IN DECEMBER! – AONTÚ SENATOR’S APPEAL TO LOCAL RETAILERS

“It’s shockingly early to have Christmas fare in the supermarket aisles already,” declared Aontú Senator for Cavan/Monaghan Sarah O’Reilly this week. Senator O’Reilly has called on local retailers to refrain from marketing Christmas goods until the advent of December, stating that the early appearance of festive fare on the shelves was piling further economic pressure on hard- pressed families. “I was doing the shopping recently and the shelves were stacked high with mince pies and Christmas puddings, and much as I love them, I don’t want to see them yet,” Senator O’Reilly commented this week.

“We haven’t even celebrated Hallowe’en and there is a mad rush to Christmas. It’s really upside down. “This dash towards Christmas is getting earlier and earlier each year and this is putting inordinate and unnecessary pressure on families who feel obliged to start spending for Christmas months in advance. “I really feel for these families who are already having to cope with the ever-tightening serious cost of living crisis. “Many of them end up going into debt just to try and make things work for Christmas. “We see families in the supermarkets with little kids in tow and they naturally become very excited on seeing the lovely Christmas goodies. It’s not fair. “I am a realist and I totally accept that the business of supermarkets is business, but I do…