Bah humbug: the perpetual season
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Billy Howard
It’s the day after Thanksgiving; the official, time-honored start of the holiday shopping season in the US. Or is it? As we emerge from our turkey-induced stupor and brace for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday whirlwind, a far more profound change has swept the retail landscape: the phenomenon known as “Holiday Creep.”
Once, the unspoken covenant was simple: Christmas decorations and sales began the day after Thanksgiving. It was a clear, culturally embedded dividing line. Now, that line has been smudged, moved, and practically vaporized. This year, like the ones before it, the holiday season didn’t begin with the flip of a switch on Friday morning, but with a quiet, commercial insurgency that started in late summer. We’ve reached a point where finding Halloween candy and Christmas ornaments displayed side-by-side in August is no longer a joke, but a disorienting reality.
The most visible casualty of this retail arms race is, ironically, the one holiday designed for reflection and gratitude: Thanksgiving. It has been systematically relegated to a speed bump on the road to Christmas sales, its importance reduced to the mere timing of a long weekend. Black Friday has metastasized into “Black Friday Week,” “Black Friday Month,” and even “Black Friday in August” events, with deals rolling out long before the turkey is thawed.
The motivations for this premature festive flood are purely economic, driven by an “arms race” among retailers to capture the early shopper’s dollar before their competitors do. By extending the selling window from a few weeks to nearly a full quarter, stores maximize their opportunity to sell seasonal inventory and boost crucial end-of-year revenues. For consumers, the creep is often sold as a benefit: the chance to spread out the financial burden of holiday shopping and avoid the last-minute stress of shipping delays. This consumer-centric justification is clever, yet it fundamentally alters the rhythm of our cultural calendar.
The shift isn’t just a modern phenomenon, though the current scale is unprecedented. The push for earlier shopping has historical roots, notably during World War I and II, when the Post Office encouraged early mailing for soldiers overseas, essentially forcing a September start to Christmas shopping. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt played a role in the 1930s, controversially moving Thanksgiving up a week; the infamous “Franksgiving”-to lengthen the official shopping period for struggling retailers.
However, the digital age has accelerated the creep beyond anything those early reformers could have imagined. E-commerce giants now launch major sales events in October, compelling brick-and-mortar stores to follow suit lest they miss out on the first wave of spending. This competitive necessity creates a perpetual motion machine of consumption, where the moment one holiday ends (or even before it does), the marketing machine for the next one roars to life.
The problem with Holiday Creep isn’t just about decorations; it’s about the dilution of experience. When the seasonal music starts in October, we are emotionally and financially spent by the time the actual holiday arrives. The anticipation that makes the season special is replaced by a low-grade, constant commercial buzz. It turns a celebrated time of year into an exhausting, drawn-out chore.
As consumers, we hold the ultimate power. While retailers will continue to supply what we demand, we have the choice to push back. This becomes apparent by deciding to savor the autumn and prioritize the spirit of Thanksgiving; family, food, and gratitude; over the frantic hunt for a discount. We can consciously delay our major purchases until the traditional Black Friday or Cyber Monday, sending a clear signal that our calendars are not merely profit projection sheets for the retail sector.
We deserve a break between seasons, a moment to exhale before the festive sprint. Let’s try to reclaim November as the month of harvest and thanks, rather than just the warm-up act for the main event. Otherwise, we may soon find ourselves decking the halls; and draining our bank accounts, before the kids are even back in school. I could be wrong but it’s just something to consider.
To pose a question, comment, or share your opinion about this opinion, you can reach Howard at bg@authorbghoward.com or P. O. Box 8103, Jacksonville, FL 32239.
