It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Much to the delight of Christmas lovers everywhere, and indeed, to the dismay of the Scrooges among us, the iconic Brown Thomas Christmas section is officially open for business, a good 127 days in advance of the holiday. The department stores in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway are all decked out in garlands and decorations, heralding the silly season's imminent arrival. OK, so Christmas still is months away, but there is always something special about the department store's Christmas section. On top of that, the weather certainly feels like summer is winding down, so maybe now is as good a time as any to get into the festive spirit? No?  Just me then? OK. While many folks feel like August is too early to begin preparations for Christmas, there is good reason for the early opening, apparently. The store sees huge demand from customers, and the top products often sell out far quicker than you might expect. Speaking at the department store's launch, Brown Thomas' buying director for home and living, Rachel Morgans said: "The Christmas shop at Brown Thomas is regarded as offering the most exquisite festive offerings available." She continued: "We take pride in sourcing the most beautiful decorations with strong demand from customers from the time we open; baubles and decorations are hugely popular from the beginning of the season and Christmas trees start to sell out by early November." This year, Brown Thomas have developed a number of Christmas themes to inspire shoppers to get creative with their home decor this winter. The themes are: Those Who Shine, Enchanted Forest, Midnight Joy, The Nutcracker and Winter Glow. To browse the collections and check out the ornaments, tree toppers, garlands and decorations, pay Brown Thomas a visit, or pop over to the website. Now, all we need is the window displays to really make it feel like Christmas.