Is this the earliest Christmas display in Sussex?

Despite it only being August, staff at C & H Fabrics in Western Road, Brighton, have set up a festive window.

But while the Santa and snowman display may be making some shoppers check their calendars, bosses at the family-owned company say their regulars expect the goods to be on sale to enable them to start making their Christmas crafts.

Angela Homewood, floor manager, said: “Our customers love to get their items ready in advance because they give them as Christmas gifts.

“For them, you can never start too soon for Christmas.

“We are a family company and we have been owned by the same company for 78 years.

“We do this every year so a lot of people are used to it, but there are some who don’t know the business that will be quite surprised to see it in all our stores.”

Mrs Homewood added that the display also helps the staff to get into the Christmas mood.

She added: “Most of us get excited about Christmas anyway and usually we can’t wait for it.”