Brown Thomas has launched its Christmas market despite the fact that it’s not even September

Ah here.

JOE loves Christmas as much as the next lads-oriented website, what with the general cheer, general beer and general avoiding of anyone wearing jumpers with lights attached. But it's a bit early in the year, no? Not according to Brown Thomas, who have launched their Christmas markets in stores across the country. “We always open at this time of year. It’s always the middle of August – I think it’s two or three days earlier than last year – and it’s really down to customer demand,” Edel Woods from Brown Thomas told the Irish Independent. “We tend to sell out by the middle of November, or even earlier.” We have but two questions... Who the divil is doing their Christmas shopping in August and, also, does this mean that summer is officially over?