Halloween is over... it must be time for Christmas!

Christmas music. November 1, and the festive adverts had begun. Not so long ago, any mention of Christmas in November would have seemed ridiculously premature.

This is the earliest that Christmas adverts have ever been screened in the UK.

But now it appears to have become an accepted part of modern life. A whole sixth of the year is dedicated to Christmas, and by the time the big day actually arrives most people never want to hear Slade or see another mince pie ever again.

But bosses at some of the world's biggest chains argue customers actually want their adverts to start this early, as they enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit.

It's hard to imagine who would actually want to watch them yet, but as of this weekend there are now dedicated Sky channels playing Christmas music and films around the clock.

How long will it be before Christmas trees start popping up in the front windows of homes?

The early promo bombardment follows research showing that one in five ­shoppers have completed part of their Christmas shopping by the first week of November.

Fears have been raised for years that the 'true meaning' of Christmas is being lost amid a torrent of commercialism.

But with shops struggling to attract customers and compete with online retailers like Amazon, Christmas is their most important time of year.

They want families to spend as much as possible, so want to whip up a festive frenzy as early as they can.

But with this comes another issue - whether people are being pressurised into spending money they haven't got.

When the adverts warn them that Christmas is less than two months away, and those exclusive bargains won't be available forever. many parents feel they have to go one better than they year before.

And when a four-year-old is pleading for the latest high-tech toy they have seen advertised repeatedly between their favourite TV shows, many mums and dads find it hard to say no.

Lidl and Asda were the first of the major retailers to launch its festive advertising campaign on Sunday night.

Asda bagged the prime X Factor results show slot, which was apt as their latest advert features former contestant Fleur East.

The 60-second advert shows a family decorating the house and car with Christmas lights, a dad struggling to take home a large Christmas tree and a nervous worker plucking up the courage to kiss a colleague under the mistletoe at their Christmas party.

And John Lewis' offering, which has become one of the most anticipated adverts of the festive season, will be released on Friday.

Details are a closely-guarded secret, and it remains to be seen who performs follows in the footsteps of Lily Allen and Tom Odell to perform the soundtrack.

Meanwhile Marks & Spencer and Waitrose launch their ads next Sunday.

The Coca Cola advert, with its famous 'holidays are coming' refrain and red lorry, is also on the way in the next fortnight. Fans even queued to see the vehicle up close when it toured the country last year.

Asda bosses admitted it was the first time that they had launched their festive campaign so early.

A spokesman for the US-owned chain said: "The stories in the adverts come from customers themselves who told us about all the extreme efforts they go to fully enjoy this time of year.

"Our customers have told us they love the run-up to Christmas as much as the big day itself.

'So we've taken their feedback on board to launch the first series of ads that capture the anticipation of the season from the very first moments. '

Sainsbury's Christmas adverts will come after Armistice Day, after their much-praised campaign last year marking the centenary of the First World War, while Tesco has yet to announce a launch date.

But even though Christmas ads are receiving their earliest ever broadcast, department store Selfridges in Birmingham's Bullring has already had its winter wonderland open for almost three months.

The Yuletide shop has filled 3,000 square feet on its fourth floor with festive gifts and decorations.

For shoppers who like to plan ahead, trends for Christmas 2015 include personalised decorations, black and white monochrome and Magical Forest, which includes wood-based decorations and woodland creatures.

And Beatties in Wolverhampton now has a huge festive area, with Santa's Grotto expected to open soon.

• Have you seen any early festive fun? Send us your pictures using the form below

Experts estimates total UK retail sales will hit £16.5bn in November and December, up 2.5 per cent from ­£16.1 billion last year.

This includes the Black Friday sales frenzy on November 27 – ­traditionally the start of Christmas shopping in America but now a milestone here too.

The £16.5 billion consists of £9.3 billion on gifts, £5.3 billion on food and drink and £1.9 billion on seasonal non-food items such as decorations, wrapping ­paper, Christmas crackers and trees.

Neil Saunders of retail research firm Columino said: "It's not a bad level of growth but lower than last year and the reason for that is food acting as a drag.

"I think it will be a very poor Christmas for some food retailers.

"We think the Aldis and Lidls will do very well and so will Marks and Spencer in the middle.

"But we think there will be a variable performance from Tesco and Sainsbury's."

Last November online shoppers spent £754 million a week – and with internet sales growing the figure is expected to reach £800 million.

A record £9.3 billion is expected to be spent on gifts this year.

Top sellers will be toys and luxury items, such as jewellery and designer clothing, says retail analyst Conlumino. Asda reckons wooden toys will be a popular.

We are set to splash out £5.3 billion on food and drink, with 10 million turkeys likely to be sold. Asda says "affordable" luxuries like lobster, crab, venison and champagne will be popular.

Spending on wrapping paper, decorations, crackers, trees and lights should hit £1.9 billion. Asda says a trend is for outdoor lights.

Top items last year were footwear (58 per cent) perfume and toiletries (46 per cent), toys and games (41 per cent) and electrical items (22 per cent), says research firm Mintel.