The Rise of Holiday Creep: A Seasonal Debate

During this time of year, I’ve noticed that people consistently say, “I can’t believe it’s (insert number) days before Christmas! It just crept up so fast this year.” Don’t we love using the word ‘creep’ as a measure of time? My Facebook feed is littered with complaints about it being too soon for retail stores to begin stocking their shelves with Halloween merchandise or with people taking offense at our grocery stores having the sheer audacity to fill their endcaps with pumpkin spice anything.

This past August, I went through a Starbucks drive-thru, super excited to get my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. I enthusiastically told my barista how thrilled I was that it was on their autumn menu. She proudly told me it became available on August 22nd, six whole days earlier than Dunkin’ Donuts. What she didn’t know is that I hold no coffee shop loyalty. It’s strictly about when my taste buds can light up with the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Starbucks would impress me if they brought back their Eggnog Latte instead of this year’s Peppermint Mocha offering. Pretty please?

I think we all have a set point about when we think products should be made available to buy, and taking offense when any store chooses to start selling Easter baskets in February is something we all need to get over right now. I was in the aisle of my local CVS browsing their Christmas decorations when the woman behind me complained that their Halloween candy was only marked down 50%, given that it was the first week of December. I was more offended that it was still available to buy in the first place.

Black Friday is another great example of holiday creep. Gone are the days of Christmas shoppers strategizing where to go or when to click to get the absolute best deal on last year’s model OLED TV. In December, shopping for gifts feels like being a pioneer living in the Wild West. Deals can drop at any moment, and you had better be ready 24/7 to score those huge savings.

Recently, I was talking to a woman who felt like the holidays came on too fast this year. “Where did the time go?” she asked. But she did tell me she was most looking forward to shopping for herself the day after Christmas to get the best deals on all the stuff that didn’t sell that month. We can’t call it Boxing Day because the U.K. and Canada have already laid claim to that one, but we need to do better than ‘After Christmas Sales.’ I am neither clever nor creative, but if we need to stay within the confines of describing a special sales event, I humbly suggest using the color teal. Think you have a great idea for a new holiday event name? Share your ideas in the comments below.