Christmas starts earlier every year...

[myveryown_nemesis]

Or that's what everyone says. Folks claim that each year the decorations in the stores go up earlier, that more and more people jump the gun on decorating their own homes.

Personally, I doubt it. I did a lazy search on the topic and found complaints that date back five years regarding Christmas decorations going up in October. Guess what folks? It's not new! In retail, Thanksgiving isn't a big holiday. Christmas, however, is. As is Halloween (it's rising through the ranks, and I think has broken into the top five: Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Halloween -- that's from memory, so don't quote me). Christmas decorations go up before Halloween comes down because that's how retail does things. Displays sell things...the next set begins its rise before the prior set is stripped down. Stores don't do naked. That's just the way it goes.

What about personal homes being decorated earlier? Really, I doubt this one, too, though some people might be spreading out their decorating tasks over a longer period of time. I remember my mother commenting (note: not complaining) about two families in our neighborhood who started decorating for Christmas on November first. I'm not a spring chicken...if these two neighbors were the first folks to decorate for Christmas prior to December (which I higly doubt), then it's been going on for at least 40 years.

Retail decorates early. They always have, they always will. People decorate early. They always have, they always will.

If you see someone decorating for Christmas in June, I'll be willing to take complaints at that time.

Comments

[xterminal.livejournal.com]

I did a lazy search on the topic and found complaints that date back five years regarding Christmas decorations going up in October. Guess what folks? It's not new!

The complaints are comparisons of twenty or thirty years ago and now-- not five.

When I worked in retail (1991-92), we, and everyone else in every other store in every strip mall I worked at, put up our xmas decorations the day before Thanksgiving, and the only reason we did so that day is because we were always too busy to do it on Black Friday. The thing we complained about back then was that the next years' calendars were already starting to ship in late July/early August...

If you see someone decorating for Christmas in June, I'll be willing to take complaints at that time.

In Elyria, and other hardcore redneck places I've lived, they avoid this by simply leaving the decorations up year-round.

[jalilifer.livejournal.com]

I worked at Macy's in the eighties -- we started Christmas well before Thanksgiving. The phrase everyone uses is "Every year it gets earlier!" If it really got that much earlier *every* year, we'd have Christmas in June, everywhere.

Yeah, it happens earlier. But not to the extent that one would believe, if you listened to all the complaints each year.

My mom has a neighbor like that, and it's not a hard core redneck zone. :) They only actually light the lights from Novembmer to January, though.

[xterminal.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, these folks would keep the whole spread for the holiday season, but the strings that surrounded the porch and a select few in the yard were year-round. I'm not sure they ever turned them off, actually.

[matrinka69.livejournal.com]

Most of my neighbors over 40 have their lights already strung. Iowa. It's cold, dammit, and who in their right mind is climbing a ladder in the cold to hang lights? NOT ME! If you're going to put up lights along the eaves, you've already done that. The railings of decks will happen next week, though if we get a good warm day before then, people will be out there that day, when they won't freeze their fingers off trying to get it done.

I no longer bother with lights, because I can't see the point in it on our house. The kids aren't young enough to be entranced anymore and I hate the chasers. It's just one more expense I can shed, so I do.

[mistythorin.livejournal.com]

Mmm... not June quite yet, and this -is- retail I'm talking about, but I've noticed the Hallmark putting their Christmas collection on display starting over July 4. I was working at Things Remembered at the time (So, a couple of years ago here.) and was at work on July 4, watching the Hallmark employees across the mall setting up Christmas displays. And Cracker Barrel put up the first Christmas trees in August.

Before Thanksgiving, I can see. Before Halloween, maybe, especially in places like Hallmark. But July and August? That's just pushing it a bit much for me.

[matrinka69.livejournal.com]

Unless it is a crafts store, I concur. Crafts stores, though, do need to put out their holiday displays well in advance, so that crafters have plenty of time to select and create their projects.

But Hallmark and the like? No. They can wait a little longer, please. Let me enjoy summer before you assault me with winter.

[jalilifer.livejournal.com]

I haven't been in a Hallmark shop for years. I was thinking more in terms of department stores, both the discount variety and the more upscale.

I'd consider Hallmark a speciality shop, and while I think it's silly to have a Christmas display up in July, I can understand it. Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving aren't really about the card exhange, whereas Christmas is. I don't know enough about the holidays of other religions which fall in between to speak of card exchanging.

I would expect that the card shops have 5 seasons, and then Christmas: Valentines, Easter/Spring, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving. Christmas sales trump them all, so I can see why they would post displays an entire season ahead.

Not that I think it's necessary, but I understand it.

[reaneau.livejournal.com]

There is this guy on my street that already has xmas decorations out...its a big ass metal tree with lights and balls and it took him a full week to construct.

Its as tacky as the fountian he put in over the summer.

I think he is newly retired and bored shitless.

[silly-lilly.livejournal.com]

oooo
your LJ looks very spiffy!!!

I didn't think that Father's Day was such a big deal holiday. Is it?

[jalilifer.livejournal.com]

It's not a big deal, but it makes money because it's a gift giving opportunity. And sometimes Daddy-Toys are expensive electronic doohickeys.

The ranking of holidays was based on something I read (it was on-line somewhere, so I could find it again, if I really looked) about the holidays being ranked in accordance to the retail sales they generated.

RE: the spiffiness of the forum...it's one of the themes available. I just upgraded to a paid account, so I'm not sure if it's one of the freebies or not. I thought it looked peaceful.

[silly-lilly.livejournal.com]

I really like it!
I don't really use LJ much except for posting so...no paying. I ... paid ... for ... Delphi since I'm using it quite alot.
*sigh*

Don't you miss us?
*sob*

[jalilifer.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do miss many people at Delphi, very much. I'd like to be able to say that I'm going to return, but at this point I can't say that. If I tried to go back now, I'd be right back to losing hours that I really can't afford.

[silly-lilly.livejournal.com]

Ooo...
Okay.
I hate work.
*sigh*

[silly-lilly.livejournal.com]

Ooo...you don't miss us....just some people!
*sob*


:-p

I hope you're well and your family! :)