I remember when the sales started first Jan. I'm not that old, but then as far as I remember shops closed early Christmas Eve and were closed Christmas Day and Boxing day and if the 27 th was a Sunday they were closed then too. Then the sales moved to 27th then Boxing day. Online sales start on Christmas day for those desperate to spend their Christmas money, well they have started already in case we weren't desperate to throw money down the drain on bought in that and stuff they couldn't shift.