How do you think Christmas has changed over the decades?

Maybe it is just me, but it feels as if each year shops are getting ready for Christmas earlier and earlier (there were cards in the shops at the end of August) and I am sure that it never used to be like that when I was younger. They always seemed to be getting ready at the end of October rather than August so this got me thinking about how Christmas has changed over the decades.

I know that now it is even more of a commercial venture than ever before to the point that the concept of Christmas is getting rather lost. Visiting Father Christmas still comes with a present, but if you want a photograph taken, then that will cost you extra. On Christmas day you used to always see children out on their new bicycles or girls with dolls in prams, but now the streets are deserted.

So what are your views on how Christmas has evolved? Are there things connected to it now that you hate?