Students from the Brazilian Santa Claus school throw their hats into the air, during their graduation ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, November 12, 2013. The school holds 4 days' lessons in Santa-training, teaching Christmas carols, how to interact with children, and also how to wear the heavy red suit in Rio's typical 104-degree (40 degrees celsius) summer weather that is common around the holidays.
In the U.K., there are grocery stores stocking Christmas pies that will expire before December 25th. Baristas in Singapore and Hong Kong are sporting Santa hats. And civil servants in Venezuela have already been paid their Christmas bonuses. You see, it isn’t just your imagination. Christmas really is getting earlier.
1. Hurry, there are only 108 Days till Christmas! According to the Daily Mail, Kmart launched their first Christmas-themed advertising campaign on Sept. 8, breaking the unwritten retailers’ rule which says there shall be no festive stuff until there are 100 days to go. The Kmart ad featured a creepy gingerbread man stalking a woman at her office and reminding her not to forget the company’s festive layaway promotion. The company’s Facebook page was flooded with complaints at the ad’s premature timing.
2. Retailers have known for at least two months what toys will be hot. And you were told weeks ago, here.
3. 24/7 holiday tunes have begun For U.S. satellite radio broadcaster SiriusXM, Christmas began on Nov. 12, when two of it stations — Holly and Holiday Traditions — began broadcasting nonstop yuletide tunes. That’s Nov. 12. Without let up. Maybe Kmart is a subscriber.
4. Venezuela unleashes Christmas by Presidential decree Who says market forces are purely behind the absurdly premature Christmas-themed preparations? In Caracas, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro wished his fellow countrymen a Merry Christmas by turning on the Nativity lights in front at the presidential palace two months ahead of the holiday and releasing two-thirds of public employees’ Christmas bonuses on Nov. 10 and 11. According to the president, “Early Christmas is the best vaccine for anyone who wants to make things up, anyone who wants to stir up trouble and violence.” Obviously, he’s never tangled with the masses entering a Wal-Mart during the early morning rush on Black Friday.
5. And speaking of Black Friday, just forget about Thanksgiving In the U.S., a late Thanksgiving this year means less days for shopping between the winter holidays. Thus retail outlets have simply decided to kick off their highly anticipated festive promotions on Thanksgiving rather than Black Friday. So hold off on enjoying dessert and forget about the Cowboys game, because this year’s Furby is being sold at half price at the nearest mall.
6. Trees are on sale now (just make sure to keep them alive for the next month and a bit) In the U.S., households and public spaces have respected a long held tradition to hold off with erecting Christmas trees until after Thanksgiving has come and gone. Whatevs, say growers in Virginia. According to an article published by a Charlottesville paper, several Christmas tree outlets across the Old Dominion are opening a week early this year after heavy rains left them with plenty of pine stock to hawk to spirited Virginians.
(MORE: Sarah Palin’s New Book About the “War on Christmas,” As a Recipe)