Christmas really does come around quicker each year.
Christmas always comes around quickly
People who get excited about the festive celebrations and those who forget to make plans are more likely to find that it arrives faster, according to experts.
Researchers in the UK and Iraq spoke to people about the onset of Christmas and Ramadan and discovered that excitement and anticipation make time fly.
The findings suggest a person's experience of time is shaped both by what is done and what is left to do.
Professor Ruth Ogden, who led the study at Liverpool John Moores University, said: "(The statement) 'Christmas seems to come quicker each year' is a staple of small talk.
"But the feeling a holiday comes around faster could also mean that someone's sense of time is slightly distorted."
Professor Ogden added: "These findings show that despite the sensation that annual events come around more quickly each year being anecdotal, it is predicted by established psychological constructs.
"While Ramadan and Christmas are very different holidays, and perceptions of time could certainly be influenced by marketing and other factors, our experience of time might be shaped both by our attention to its passage and by our plans for the future.
"The results of this study suggest that the sensation is not limited to a single culture or event."