Parents told to start buying Christmas gifts as early as possible

Have you started your Christmas shopping?

I know it's a little early to mention the C word, but Christmas will be here before we know it. Parents are already being advised to start shopping as soon as they can because the price of toys is set to soar. Speaking to Extra.ie, one shop supervisor said now is a good time to purchase toys because the price hikes haven't set in. They told shoppers to try and pick up a couple of their children's main gifts if it is financially possible. "Parents won't be able to buy as much as they normally would. "Especially if they've got a couple of kids, they'll have to really cut back on how much they buy." "It will take away from them. It's gone up a lot [the price]. We're coming into the colder months now and bills will take priority." But is this even feasible? So many parents are already struggling to keep afloat after the expensive back-to-school season so how are they supposed to fork out for Christmas gifts? Last year, it was revealed that the average person in Ireland was spending nearly €700 on Christmas gifts already. However, with our money going towards more important things like gas and electricity, we can't see that happening this year. A survey by PayPal revealed that people spent a third more than they would have in 2020. I might write a letter to Santa myself and ask him for a loan of €10k just to get through Christmas.