Christmas Items Are On Shelves In September, And That's Actually A Good Thing
It may seem like the dog days of summer are still here. Step outside and you'll feel that 80-degree heat and humidity in the air. The leaves have yet to start changing, kids have just gone back to school and Halloween costume superstores have yet to take over abandoned Toys R Us locations. Despite the actual season and the actual date, however, mid-September means one thing and one thing alone: Christmastime is here.
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At least, according to retail stores it is. Eagle-eyed Twitter users have noticed that back-to-school aisles have hopped right over Halloween and Thanksgiving and started displaying Christmas merchandise. And while some may condemn hearing "Jingle Bells" and seeing Santa Clauses seven weeks before Halloween, I'm here to tell you that Christmas in the fall is actually a really, really good thing.
Christmas in September is happening for a few reasons, but one of them certainly is demand. The long and short of it is that Christmastime and the holidays makes people happy. Singing joyful songs, spending time with families and decorating your home with Santa Clauses, snowmen and reindeer is just fun. As someone who decorates for Christmas the literal moment Halloween is over, September is a good time to stock up on all those new stockings and tree ornaments.
And as Twitter users pointed out, there's actually a really practical reason for holiday merchandise, candies and toys to roll out in the fall. It's about budgeting.
"Before you kick off about the shops having Christmas stuff in, bear in mind that for a lot of people – under pressure to provide – the shopping has to start now, getting a little bit each week or month as they get paid," @EdSimpsonNI wrote.
Before you kick off about the shops having Christmas stuff in, bear in mind that for a lot of people – under pressure to provide – the shopping has to start now, getting a little bit each week or month as they get paid.
— Ed Simpson (@EdSimpsonNI) September 8, 2018
User @PoppyStarkie had a similar sentiment, saying even "little things" like candies, decorations and lights add up quickly and need to be budgeted for.
A person or family on a lower income might need to spread their purchases across the rest of the year. And I don't just mean gifts, I mean things you might take for granted as "parts of Christmas", like tins of sweets, drinks, decorations and lights.
— ✨Poppy✨ (@PoppyStarkie) September 6, 2018
But wait, what about Halloween? You say. Well, Halloween and Christmas can co-exist. I mean, haven't you heard of The Nightmare Before Christmas?
At the end of the day, stores rolling out Christmas items in the final days of summer isn't hurting anyone. Don't like it? Walk away and don't buy anything! For some people, Christmas in September is fun and for others, it's a necessary way to make the holidays merry and bright. And if you're like me and the idea of the holidays in September excites you, well that's a sign you may be obsessed with Christmas.
Carolyn Menyes is the entertain editor at The Daily Meal. She's already started accumulating new ornaments for her Christmas tree. Follow her holiday adventures and more on Twitter and Instagram.