Patrick Kielty has responded to parents complaining about the date of The Late Late Toy Show being changed this year.
He also issued a warning to people at home not to be complacent comes to Christmas shopping.
The annual festive programme normally airs in November, but tonight's instalment comes just 18 days before Christmas Eve, meaning children's lists for Santa Claus could change and Santa could already be making the presents.
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Patrick told RSVP Live: "Whenever a toy ends up on The Toy Show, it doesn’t matter when it is, there is going to be a rush for it.
"If The Toy Show is a starting pistol for getting your tree up and getting yourself ready, my advice would be to remember that it is December 6 if you are having a glass of wine tonight, and remember that you don’t have as long as you think."
The RTÉ star added: "Other people feel that November is too early to start Christmas. Hopefully there will be nobody disappointed."
Patrick's kids, James and Milo, will be home in London with their mum Cat Deeley tonight and they will watch the show together over the weekend.
He said: "Toy Show day has not extended to England and they don’t have a day off school. The Toy Show pyjamas have been worn flat to the mat for the last three weeks.
"They will be freshly washed and the boys will see as much as they can last tonight. Then I will do what I did last year and watch it again on the Player when I get back home on Saturday. They will sit and dissect my performance - as if they care I am hosting The Toy Show!
"They couldn’t care less. Last year, they said ‘There’s Dad dressed as an elf, now where are the toys and where are the kids?’ That is how it should be."
The theme of The Late Late Toy Show is another hit movie, Home Alone.
Patrick said: "What is lovely about the theme this year is that there is a little bit of nostalgia to it and there are people who will remember stuff from the movie the first time around.
"There will be a little nod. The second you watch The Toy Show, you become a kid again. Hopefully there will be something for everyone."
The show will begin in dramatic style.
The host teased: "There is a wee surprise in it, and hopefully we survive that. They have decided that there should be a little bit of an entrance that is not in my control, shall we say. If I survive that, I can kick on."
The Late Late Toy Show airs on Friday, December 6 at 9.35pm on RTE One.
English (US) ·