What is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the holidays? Maybe it is the decorations. Decorations for every holiday are different, and they are easily recognizable. For Halloween, there are ghosts. For Christmas, there are Santas. For Valentine’s Day, there are unmistakable hearts. But why are so many retail stores bringing out the decorations so early? Stores are rushing to the holidays, putting out Christmas trees in October and pumpkins and ghosts in August. There are many stores that bring on the seasons very early, but many ask, why?

Some of those that bring on the holidays faster than others seem to be craft and home décor stores. Michael’s, HomeGoods, and Hobby Lobby are notorious for setting up Christmas tree displays and ornaments towards the end of September. In August, Michael’s was already setting up the gravestones and fake skulls that would adorn lawns for Halloween. When the season for Halloween finally arrived in October, many items were already gone, and the Christmas season had already begun. This process of putting out decorations early is called the “holiday creep.” This is done so stores have longer time to sell the product and to make more money. The longer the decorations are out, the more money the business will make before the holiday. According to an article entitled “Holiday Season Is Here, at Least According to Retailers” in The Washington Post, “… consumers have signaled that they want to [holiday] shop early: 26 percent planned to start in October, according to Bankrate. But 12 percent begin their holiday shopping before the end of August, and another 12 percent started in September.”  It is also proven that most people buy their holiday decorations and gifts early, so businesses cater to this idea. Sophomore Aidan Pearsall said, “Decorations have been up since summer, and it can get annoying that they have been out for so long. ”

If stores are rushing straight to Christmas after Halloween, what about Thanksgiving? With stores trying to get the most money by having products out earlier, some believe that other holidays are being overlooked. Freshman Emily Callaghan said, “Certain holidays are being overlooked because Christmas decorations are already out, and the other holidays have not even happened yet.” Holidays may slowly lose their magic and joy since people are moving to celebrate the next holiday so quickly. Thanksgiving seems to be one of these holidays that gets skipped over in the excitement from Halloween to Christmas. It also seems to be difficult to get into the holiday spirit when the music and the decorations have been out for such a long period of time. Senior Ashley Olalde said, “It depends on how the people around you treat holidays being overlooked. My family is still focused on Thanksgiving, so I don’t overlook that holiday, but it depends on other families and if they rush things themselves.”

Seasons are dragging on with craft stores extending the holidays for such long periods of time. It is more difficult to get into the spirit of the festivities and enjoy oneself during the time meant to be spent with friends and family.