Y’all notice how before Halloween hit there were already Christmas decorations up for the holiday season? Did you see commercials about holiday deals prior to having finished midterms or finalized your Halloween costumes? Pumpkins were out in the supermarket right next to Christmas trees. It seems as though stores, corporations, and brands have decided that Christmas needs to come earlier and earlier every year, and to be honest, it’s kind of sad, actually.
There’s actually a name for this phenomenon and it’s called the “Christmas Creep.” According to Dictionary.com, although this trend has been going on since the 1950s, the phrase “Christmas Creep” has been around since the 1980s. I’m sure you’ve seen some Instagram posts or Tweets about the Christmas Creep in one shape or form. I know I’ve personally talked about it on my Snapchat story several times these past two months.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE the holidays. Christmas is actually my favorite one. What upsets me is that because these stores, markets, and websites are advertising so early, I can’t enjoy the holidays as much. It seems to just drag on for longer, which I personally feel like part of what makes the holidays so enjoyable is that it is only for about two months, so you should enjoy the season when it’s an appropriate time.
(But also my birthday is on Christmas Day and I’m turning 20 this year and people have already started asking me what I want/what I want to do and I’m not ready! Yikes! Anyways, back to my rant.)
I know that I shouldn’t let my negative feelings about the Christmas Creep hinder or influence anyone else’s feelings about the holidays, but the whole reason I’m kind of ranting is because I love the holidays so much! I want this time of year to still feel special and fantastic without worrying about these ads and sales being shoved in my face when I’m still sweating while walking up and down the many hills in hot and humid Athens, Georgia.
Some guy in my Public Speaking class even gave a speech on the “Christmas Creep” while dressed as a cow because he also happened to be giving his speech on Halloween. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture, but he did show us an ebay ad that pretty much sums up what I, along with many other people in this world, think about this year’s Christmas Creep being the earliest it has ever been.
Props to the ebay marketing team for not only making fun of this phenomenon, but also managing to find a way to profit off of something…that’s trying to profit off of something (and by that, I mean the exploitation of consumers). Also, I find the ad really funny, so check it out!
Because of how early Christmas is being pushed onto us, it’s like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other holidays that come before winter even starts are being completely washed over.
But as Thanksgiving passes and finals season begins, that means we are happening upon a more acceptable time to put up your holiday decorations and shop for gifts for your loved ones. And yourself, too.
As college students, I know we’re always itching to go online shopping, but our wallets are always feeling otherwise. Just don’t succumb to the marketing campaign for the holiday deals so early because we’ve still got a while until December hits, and buying so many things over time will certainly add up. And don’t feel like you have to start celebrating the holidays immediately after Halloween. Perhaps I’m being a bit of a Scrooge or a Grinch, (or maybe I’m just anxious because I’m going to be turning 20 this Christmas), but I really do like the holidays. I just hate seeing it come so early, and then I start worrying about buying people gifts.
Also, I’m sorry to the people who don’t celebrate Christmas and have to be surrounded by so much Christmas-centered stuff. Considering Christmas is the main narrative that people take, though, I’m guessing you’re not surprised.
Let’s just hope that stores, brands, etc. will learn from the amount of complaints that people have made about the Christmas Creep and will do better next year. But if not, watch out for the Christmas Creep in July. And no, I’m not talking about Santa Claus, although, have you listened to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”? As a child, the part in the song that goes, “He sees you when you’re sleeping / He knows when you’re awake” was kind of terrifying, not gonna lie…
Here’s to hoping Christmas doesn’t creep into our lives so early next year.