As a follow-up to the Starbucks post, we received a couple emails from employees who told us that Starbucks begins using the red cups typically on the first Tuesday of November, but doesn't start offering the peppermint mocha and all that stuff until later-November 17, according to one tipster.
(Photo: TMQ.st.louis)
]]>But I also think Thanksgiving should be two weeks earlier so that its seasonal themes conform more to Mother Nature's calendar.
]]>This guy says it all.....listen to the Halloween refrence
And the music - it's excruciating. I don't need to hear "Santa Baby" 4500 times. It's not cute.
]]>@flugennock: Yeah, and back then the WS was not in November, so it was definitely early.
]]>@RandomHookup: I like what you did there.
]]>I'm inclined to give retailers a pass this year, in light of their desperate straits and our financialocalypse. Next year, though, I'd love to see a movement to *boycott* those who put up displays earlier than the week before Thanksgiving.
If we really want Christmas Creep to stop, we have to vote with our wallets. A vocal boycott would do just that.
]]>These kids are probably in (and out of?) college by now, lol.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: What "jeezus"?
To most of the world, it's a mythical figure.
]]>Celebrating a loose wife with a bastard child and a cuckolded husband is creepy.
Buying things is not a "celebration" and charity is self-serving egotism unless you do it year round.
]]>Interesting you'd mention that.
I thought I was the only one who noticed how it seems that the marketeers have decided that they've milked Xma$ as much as they can, and have moved on to Valentine's Day. I remember last year there seemed an inordinately large amount of marketing/media attention paid to Valentine's Day -- in the middle of friggin' January f'cripesake, while some of us are still dealing with our hangovers.
I also like how, in the past few years or so, the NBC Today Show has for some reason gone totally apeshit over Labor Day Weekend Travel -- complete with live remotes from the shoulders of interstates full of streaming traffice, live remotes from airports full of snaking check-in lines, like they're trying to make you feel like you're "out of it" because you're staying home for Labor Day Weekend, all seeming to send the message "Why aren't you on the road someplace for Labor Day? Why aren't you flying someplace for Labor Day? C'mon, America, do your duty and get out there!"
]]>While we're on the subject of Fourth Of July... perhaps out of sympathy for all those kids out there, you guys could start a poll on Back-To-School Creep?
I can remember, as a young kid, my last two weeks of summer vacation being totally wrecked by the Back-To-School Sales -- or, as I used to call it, Back-To-Hell Sales.
When I was in school, the average date was somewhere around mid-August. I haven't followed it really closely lately, but istr last summer, I caught Staples sending out Back-To-School Sale circulars right after the Fourth Of July. Friggin' sadists.
]]>@squinko:
Yeah your right retailers should have all their employees work all of thanksgiving day getting all of the holiday stock out and store decorated and prepped for black friday. Why would they put stuff out earlier to give stores time to set endcaps and sell stuff to people who may want it earlier. Just make the peons work on one of their few holidays.
]]>Personally, I like January 2nd.
Gotta have the time from Dec 26 thru the 31st to return the crap I don't want.
]]>Makes me want to jump out a window.
]]>That's right. The goddamn' World Series.
]]>@mamalicious: I'm fine with there being merchandise in the store, too, after Halloween but I really don't like seeing the store windows, etc, done up for Christmas until Thanksgiving.
]]>I actually said after labor day. I never understood the hate behind the christmas creep. If some places want to sell christmas stuff early then that's perfectly fine. Some people actually prefer to get their decorations and/or gifts out of the way and avoid the rush.
]]>"To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims's second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event." In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy."
Now, I agree with you that it should be called a "Christmas tree" as long as it is a tree that is decorated for the purpose of celebrating Christmas. But it doesn't have squat to do with "Judeo-Christian values" (um, and the "Judeo" part of that isn't particularly relevant to this discussion in the first place) or Puritans or founding fathers or teabags or whatever the hell else. Also, let us remember that Christmas is not a holiday just for Americans, and that it is certainly not just a holiday for self-righteous douchebags who use every December as an excuse to wail and gnash their teeth with their feigned outrage whenever someone, especially a shop clerk, has the audacity to wish them happy holidays or to practice a different religion. So Bah Humbug to you, good sir/madam!
PS: I am both shocked and highly offended that you replaced the Judeo-Christian-American sacred holiday name "Thanksgiving" with the bizzare and highly inappropriate "Gobble Gobble Day". Please return your Christian Patriot Card to headquarters.
]]>I just feel like I have bigger fish to fry than freaking out about a garland or Christmas display. People need something to look forward to in their lives right now. No need to be a Grinch.
]]>But they also had their decorations ornaments and non-craft (ie do-it-yourself) stuff.
Too bad they can't have the sense to have supplies out, but not trees.
]]>The only problem is the stores that put out their Christmas crap several weeks BEFORE Halloween. It's just too early, and who cares about buying Christmas ornaments in October anyways?
Disclaimer: I work in a store that did just this - put out ALL the Christmas stuff before Halloween, pretty much moving the Halloween stuff to a few mismatched racks on the main aisles. It really pissed me off.
]]>I don't mind it too much, I do view it as a holiday season, did ever since I was a kid, because once Halloween is over, you pretty much don't have a full week of school until the new year. And as awesome as that Nintendo was 25 years ago, no christmas gift ever compared to 4 day weekends. When it's on TV too much is when I start to get annoyed. The Christmas Creep is entirely avoidable to me. Complaining about it is on par to complaining about the content on TV, etc.
]]>@Professional_Iceberg_Hunter: I don't mind use of the word "holidays" for the season in general, but it is a little silly to call it a holiday tree. The tree is for Christmas, that's where is came from. Its insulting to suggest by calling it a holiday tree, that anything changes. It is also insulting to say that the Christmas icon should be the default holiday decoration as well.
"Happy Holidays", "Holiday Parties" are all fine with me though.
]]>Yup. Gotta love the boxing week specials, though. I always camp out for boxing day, but I have a feeling this year might be an exception. :(
Nahh... who am I kidding?!
]]>Well, yes, of course there's a December 1st. We *are* on the Gregorian calendar, after all.
Still not sure what's particularly special about that day, though... All I come up with is World AIDS day.
]]>If you want to make a phone call, though, you kind-of have to go outside to find enough quiet without disturbing the readers. :)
]]>No sooner had Halloween ended Saturday evening than Sunday my wonderful Giant Eagle grocery store was busy putting up the giant Santa and Frosty inflatables in the front of the store. The general merchandise aisle was littered in Christmas stuff - not a turkey or cornucopia to be had. Thank goodness I still have my "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" DVD to turn to in times like these - AND my cornucopia is adorning the dining room table. Bah, humbug!
]]>For most things, I'd prefer if stores waited until Thanksgiving has passed prior to displaying their Christmas wares.
However, I make a notable exception for Starbucks. The earlier they release the Gingerbread Lattes, the better.
]]>You also might want to take a look at some of the newer surveys about religious views and the US population.
]]>I'm not saying Colonel is that way (I don't know), but I don't like it much either. I'm alone and have no family of my own, so to me it's kind of meh. I don't bother much anymore with it unless I'm going to my mom's, and I don't even want to drive that far unless my sister is coming. I get really tired of all the people gushing when I have no one to talk to for those three days I'll be off work.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: The Gingerbread Lattes are now available in NYC.
Like many of the above commenters, I wait all year for the Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread Lattes. If you're in a bind, you can usually request Starbucks make a peppermint mocha.
]]>Our local mall had Halloween Trick or Treating for the kids (rather than going to houses, the kids would visit the stores and get candy.). All was fine and well, until we walked by the construction site for "Santa's Village" in the mall. It was quite a site to see little witches and goblins staring at fake snow, animitronic elves and Santa's gingerbread house.
]]>For me it is the time of year that otherwise sane people go mad for two months and act like jerks while trying to spend all their money. I don't really care for Christmas carols either. Schlocky music that was bad to begin with now done to death. I propose they replace all Christmas music with the Macarena and Achey Breaky Heart. Then maybe others will understand why the whole season makes me want to jab pencils in my ears.
]]>OTOH, Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I don't want it overshadowed by anything else, and Thanksgiving is my least favorite so I don't mind ignoring it. :-)
]]>I confess that as much as I hate Christmas Creep, I love Snog and don't mind if it creeps onto the shelf as soon as it gets cold outside each year.
]]>@speedwell, avatar of snark: I think there is a difference however between having a few Christmas themed products, especially in a craft store where things require some level of assembly, and the stores going into full-on decorating mode for the holidays in July. There is no reason why stores need to have their Christmas trees or inflatable Santas up and on display in September with holiday music playing over the store sound system and the snow covered fake evergreen baughs and large ornaments hanging from the ceiling when I am shopping in shorts and a T-shirt.
]]>All this push for Christmas so early has burned me out on the entire thing already and it is only the first week of November. This is a new record.
]]>@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I just love wrapping gifts. It's one of the simplest things, but I love using really pretty paper and making gifts look so great. And I love having all those colors under the tree, even though we don't put too many gifts down there. We usually put the gifts we give each other, and then the ones for family down there just so there are actually boxes there.
]]>But Christmas music? THAT can wait until after Thanksgiving, if not December 1.
]]>It is a bit of a present extravaganza but that is totally incidental to all the family events.
(And it doesn't matter if you aren't Christian at McGee family Christmas ... we have had Jews, Buddhists, atheists, Hindus, furriners, etc., all come to the event because my mother hates to think of anyone with nowhere to go. She would also buy you presents from Santa so you wouldn't feel left out. And send you home with six tupperware containers of food.)
]]>@PixelProphet: I've heard of Christmas Isle and Easter Isle and the Sandwich Isles, but I've never heard of the Halloween Isles. I think I would like to winter there.
]]>Isn't there a December 1st up north?
]]>Wintery stuff after Halloween so you can have traditional 'Winter' decorations like pine boughs and fancy plates to decorate for Thanksgiving. Many northern states have some snow by then anyway. Specifcally themed X-Mas/Holiday stuff should wait until after Thanksgiving though. (As an aside, my family gets together from across the country for Thanksgiving not Christmas, so we tend to blend them. We don't expect to buy X-Mas stuff though. We drag out what we already have for decorations.)
]]>@inadequatewife: For twenty years, my Jewish grandmother used to send me a Christmas card, and I used to send her a Hanukkah card. Until we found out, quite by accident at Mom's funeral, that we were both stone cold atheists. Now we don't wait for holidays to send cards. :)
]]>The apparel industry is just as bad. Don't even think of buying snowboots or gloves in February when it's snowing outside. Whatever's left is already on clearance. You'd better buy a swimsuit in May because you'll never find one in July when you get invited to an impromptu weekend at the lake. By July 4th, the back-to-school clothes are already in stores, and the poor kids have barely started summer vacation.
In another ten years, Christmas creep will start right after New Year's Day.
]]>@Eilonwynn: I'm a quilter, too, and I agree, but why wait until July? I want my fabric when I want it, and since it doesn't spoil (at least not for fifty years or more), I never understood the problem with having it all available all year.
]]>@Android8675: Our "traditional" stuff usually includes a lot of gaily wrapped Christmas candy from Hungary. But we mail-order that, usually.
]]>My only request: KEEP THE @$*$ING CHRISTMAS MUSIC OFF TILL AFTER THANKSGIVING!!!
]]>I have a friend who is Jewish, with a husband who is Christian. They agreed to raise the kids in the Jewish faith. No blue/white/silver holiday tree in their home. It's the menorah all the way. But they do go to Grandma's house, and she does Christmas full-blast, so the kids are well versed in the different parts of their family heritage.
]]>@Oranges w/ Cheese wants it to be winter already: But there are people who aren't like that, and I think Jesus is kind of happy with them. We're all selfish beings, it's true. But there's no reason to live with such negativity.
]]>That gets the Christmas trees, ornaments, and decorations out for people to purchase before Thanksgiving weekend. There's absolutely no need for the Christmas merchandise to be spilling out into other departments so early. We don't need to be in holiday mode 12 months a year.
I don't think that stores or malls need to decorate, play carols, or anything similar until after Thanksgiving.
]]>I remember being in a mall in the middle of the night after a show on halloween and the maintenance people were putting up christmas decorations. That was five years ago.
]]>Monday, November 2nd. That's the day I drove home past a house with about 20 inflatable Christmas decorations in the front yard.
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: I'm glad someone finnally had the nerve to ask him why he is angry at life.
@Colonel Jack O'Neill I honestly feel bad for you, it must be awful to live with such negativity. Seriously, no sarcasm meant.
]]>The stores need something to fill the void in the aisles and there isn't enough thanksgiving merchandise to do that. But please leave a little bit of thanksgiving stuff out and don't put out the Xmas stuff until a couple days after halloween.
]]>God. Wait until they actually try selling blue "Hannukah" bushes >_<
]]>@frank64: It does, doesn't it? But reflect, every craft store is ordering at the same time as every other one, and there are only so many major vendors for that stuff, so everyone winds up with more or less the same merchandise anyway.
]]>@Oranges w/ Cheese wants it to be winter already: ...for these reasons.
]]>@Oranges w/ Cheese wants it to be winter already: Because that isn't always the rule? Christmas is awesome.
]]>If you need Christmas stuff earlier than that, go visit a Christmas village store, or just stock up after 26 December-- plan ahead, people.
It's not the creep that bothers me so much as the clothing shifting. Why the merchandising gods above decided that I can't buy a winter coat in, you know, *winter* or swimsuits in summer is beyond me.
]]>This by far is the worst year for Christmas creep.
]]>@Professional_Iceberg_Hunter: Conversely, I demand that they call the menorah a 'Holiday candlestick". Fair is fair, and Christians can use candlesticks too!
]]>How could that not engender hatred?
Fuck. And I'm not even christian!
]]>Seriously, stores have the freedom to sell Christmas merchandise whenever they want. I just won't be buying any of it until after Thanksgiving.
]]>@Colonel Jack O'Neill: Why are you so angry in life? How can you hate Christmas?
]]>@MostlyHarmless: Nah, after Halloween is fine. I just hate turning the corner in Target and going from Vampires and Bats to jolly santa's.
Nov 1st is perfectly acceptable. After Thanksgiving would be amazing, but that's never going to happen. As one commentor already said, a lot of people put up the Tree the day after thanksgiving, so how are they going to get other decorations if you couldn't buy em? Just please wait until AFTER Halloween. No purple/blue and black mixing with gold and red.
]]>Also, they should start selling their goods near Gobble-Gobble day. This gives people enough time to set everything up.
]]>Merch is much less intrusive then being bombarded with it at every media outlet.
]]>Any sooner than Halloween, and I bring out Zombie Jesus to eat your brains.
]]>I can stand it after Halloween. Prefer later, but I just don't go down those aisles, no need for it, as we celebrate Yule instead (lot less decorations needed). I do wait till after Thanksgiving to start singing happy chrismahanakwanzika to you! if that helps any.
]]>@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: What's really sad to me is that there are no fall-themed cups. I suppose if you do fall themes and Christmas, then people wonder why they don't do Spring and Summer too. I love pumpkin spice lattes and gingerbread lattes. And peppermint mochas.
]]>@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: I love the pumpkin latte as well, but it's just not quite as good as the gingerbread, to me.
I usually get both (not at the same time.) for as long as they'll let me. I've even specially requested them after they pull the holiday stuff from public view. They will make it for you as long as they have syrup left.
]]>I don't care about wreaths in Wal-Mart or red cups at Starbucks after Halloween. Just please don't turn on the Christmas music until after Thanksgiving!
]]>@MostlyHarmless: I'm okay with Halloween too. Anytime around the end of October is good with me because we don't really celebrate Halloween but we do love Christmas. It's important for us to be able to plan ahead with gift giving and the few Christmas-themed things we buy per year.
]]>@BeerManMike is Bayonetta's personal defender:: YOU talk to my dad. The Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanskgiving, and not ONE DAY earlier or later.
]]>@nbs2: Makes sense.
@scoobydoo: It also depends on the kind of merchandise. I dont really need some tacky santa hat in October. Thats the kind of thing that gets picked along when kids say they like it.
]]>@squinko: In my family, it's traditional to put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving, which is a bit hard if you can't get your stuff before then. I actually think that Monday Thanskgiving week is the best time.
]]>Buying presents = Any time, defintly before december though (unless it doesnt come out until after then). Just to avoid the christmas rush, and the stores possibly charging more.
Christmas decorations = Anytime after thanksgiving.
]]>I dont want to be reminded of how much money I need to spend for more than a month before christmas. Black Friday should be the day when it can all be rolled out.
Can we write to our senators and make this a law?
]]>(Kidding, mostly. Haha.)
]]>After Thanksgiving. You may purchase little christmas things here and there 1 week piror to Thanksgiving and storing them in the closet. Then on sat/sun after Thanksgiving you go out and start shopping for Christmas things all the way up untill Dec 27. Stores may start showing the Cristmas wares in the corner at around November 18. No trees may go up untill the first weekend of December. I have spoken.
]]>I worked at a craft store for a couple years. The time for craft stores to put out merchandise for Christmas crafts is all year. The time to order merchandise specifically for a Christmas season, however, is slightly before Christmas of the year before.
]]>@MostlyHarmless: I think it depends on your target market. For some stores, I think that post Halloween is fine. For others, I would say that waiting until Thanksgiving hits or is very close is better. Costco and others who target resellers, I have no problem with late July/early August.
]]>mid july isnt on the poll.
]]>I do hate the August creep I've been seeing lately.
]]>I'm sorry, but Thanksgiving DOES NOT have a tree.
]]>It hurts my feelings that they have out their Christmas stuff but won't have the Gingerbread latte for another couple of weeks.
I wait all year for the Gingerbread latte.
]]>But then, I never shop for xmas presents, so I dont care.
]]>