"The Union of Private Employees is appealing to department store owners to use moderation and play Christmas music for only a few hours each day.

"From morning to night, for weeks before Christmas, there was the same Christmas music in department stores over and over again, said Gottfried Rieser of the Union of Private Employees.

"'Many staff in the retail sector suffer psychologically from it,'" Mr Rieser said. "'They get aggressive. On Christmas Eve with their families, they can't stand Silent Night or Jingle Bells any more.'"

I feel the same way about Xmas music. It assaults me when I buy breakfast at Safeway every morning. We must end this Xmas tyranny.