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.

[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.

[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?