To be fair, this statement was true about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving! Now, we’re just over-run with Christmas spirit in all the stores. I guess I’m just wondering: Whatever happened to Thanksgiving? I know retailers have been trending toward Christmas earlier and earlier, but this year seemed exceptionally early. I saw signs of the holidays in fast food restaurant displays in early November, and retail stores began the hype well before Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s the economy… this slump has caused the retailers to feel the need to remind customers to spend their dollars at Christmas time this year.

One new trend that I like is that stores extended their Black Friday deals prior to and beyond Black Friday. I saw several stores advertising items at 50%-70% on the Monday before Thanksgiving, and pointing out that customers didn’t need to fight the crowds on Black Friday. I also learned about Cyber Monday, which took the Black Friday deals online. I know a lot of shoppers were excited for the thrill of the hunt and the joy of purchasing a treasure at a discount from the comfort of their own homes, instead of freezing at 4 am in a line outside a brick and mortar store.

While I’m glad that Christmas has arrived once again, I would still like to hang onto autumn for a little longer next year. So please, retailers, can we keep the Fa la la to a mezzo piano until after Thanksgiving? Then I’m all for caroling at the top of your lungs, and I’ll probably be the loudest of all!