Holiday lights decorate portions of Mill Avenue and a 60-foot Christmas tree stands in Centerpoint Plaza to celebrate the holiday season. (Photo by Branden Eastwood)Dear Retail Christmas,
Hello.
You'll forgive my short greeting but I'm afraid we have much to discuss — not all of it good. Please, have a seat.
I'll get straight to the point: I had a feeling that there would be trouble when your store signage began to pop up at my job a few weeks ago. It's the usual fare: snowy buildings, starry skies, red, green and white — and who could forget the snowmen? How about the drawings of children, happily smiling as the chill roses up their cheeks?
The holiday season slowly began at my job as I was tasked with setting out a table rife with holiday themed blankets and throws, each replete with the same colors as described above. Normally, there wouldn't be much of an issue with this. It was a simple task: open box, take out blankets and position. Quick and basic. But something was off about the season.
It was October.
We're talking near the startof fall — we hadn't even touched Halloween yet. Nor was anyone talking about Black Friday. And God forbid we recognize the turkey.
It was (figuratively) Christmas in October. And on a personal note, Retail Christmas, you butted into one of my favorite holidays. Halloween is a day when I (and other people) can walk around looking like weirdos and not get arrested for it. It is not a time when folks should be seeing red ribbons and Saint Nick, unless he was a zombie or a skeleton and those ribbons were stained red with blood (or fingerpaint for the children).
And before you ask: Yes, I'm giving "The Nightmare Before Christmas" a massive pass here. It meshes Halloween and Christmas together, but it's less about consumerism and more about the holiday spirit in a dark way.
Now, I can understand the early start, Retail Christmas, and part of it isn't entirely your fault. Gift makers and crafters need places to show off their wares and they want to get 'em out there early to build up the hype. It's business — companies and stores need to make sales, and this is far and widethe prime time for it.
Meanwhile, many folks of the general public are probably eager to start shopping early in order to get the gifting done and out of the way, and seeing those sale papers and signs are only getting them more stoked to clean up. I'll be the first to admit I've done this in the past, for a more selfish reason than anything. I regret it still.
I always felt that holidays belonged to the months they were created for. July: 4th of July. February: Valentine's Day. October: Halloween.
My point is, what the hell is so hard about keeping Christmas in December? Do people really need discounts on products so early in the year? You've got 24 days to utilize those deals in December, and even to get creative with the sales. I know that a lot of folks have to have the great deals early, but as far as you're concerned, Retail Christmas, it's the whole "carrot on a stick" voodoo that you do that gets people out there (apologies to Cole Porter).
Which is why you're celebrating Christmas in October. Which is why places like Best Buy have, in the past, had lines of campers a week before Black Friday even began. Why workers of such places can't see their families during the proper dinnertime, because you want to crack open then and there to have customers shop around. Then the McDonald's across the street wants to stay open for 24 hours to collect the hungry who didn't bother with a proper dinner because dad wanted a new flatscreen for half off. Cue the surprise when they come out with Turkey McNuggets featuring a cranberry dipping sauce, only for Thanksgiving weekend.*
And to the people out there — the folks who camp outside of Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy a week, five days, two days ahead of Black Friday? Please reconsider doing this. Spend time with the family — actual time. Not out in the cold under a Coleman tent, but in front of a movie with popcorn and s'mores over the fireplace (if you've got one) after dinner.
In closing, Retail Christmas, there's no need for doing this so early. I know you want to boost your sales and keep yourself afloat, but does that need to be at the expense of your workers who'd rather spend time with family? How about the people who wind up brawling over the last PlayStation 4 on that darkest of days. Hell, you're already making strides towards the light, what with a fair amount of stores shutting down for Thanksgiving. Keep that up. As far as I'm concerned, it's a time to spend with family, not to shop for the latest price drops.
Sincerely,
Damion Julien-Rohman
*I'd be lying to myself if I said I didn't actually want to try that.
Reach the reporter at djulienr@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @legendpenguin.
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