By Jessica Wind (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 14, 2012
It’s ironic that a day called Remembrance Day is forgotten about, along with American Thanksgiving, term papers and everything else in November due to the fact that Christmas comes a little earlier every year. I have barely washed the pumpkin remnants from my driveway and my neighbours are already hanging red and green lights from their eaves.
If you were running away from the rain on Halloween and you happened upon a Starbucks, there is a good chance you could have ordered a hot cup of their seasonal coffee, Christmas blend. Is this because they want to spread Christmas cheer to their customers? Doubtful. Christmas blend—or Holiday blend in certain multicultural demographics—is only offered during the holiday season and it still manages to outsell all other beans that are offered year round. If they start selling it earlier, there is more time to capitalize on sales, so why not offer it the whole year? Classic marketing; if Starbucks offered the customer favourite all year, people wouldn’t need to go into a purchasing frenzy during November and December. But their brew isn’t the only thing that Starbucks brings us at the beginning of November. Red cups, Christmas pastries, eggnog, caramel brule and gingerbread lattes – calories have never taken such a hit.
Starbucks is not alone in determining when Christmas begins. Canadian Tire has started promoting their extensive holiday decoration collection as well; all the massive chains are getting on board the consumer train and Santa is due in the malls later this week.
Some companies are holding off the season, in response to customer complaints – so I’m not alone. Shoppers Drug Mart has stopped Christmas music from playing in their stores.
They explained on their Facebook page on November 2: “Due to recent complaints around the Christmas music being played in stores we want to advise you that as of midnight EST tonight, all Christmas music will be suspended until further notice.” This was met with 7600 “likes” from other people who, like me, feel that Christmas comes too early every year. In the 5700 comments that followed the post, employee sanity was taken into account. As someone that worked at Starbucks for six years, I can promise you that after seven weeks of Christmas carols and spilling eggnog on yourself, retail employees are ready to set fire to Christmas trees everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is my favourite time of year. I wholly embrace the season and its cheery, giving nature. I can’t wait to watch the Grinch save Christmas along with Chevy Chase, Macaulay Culkin and Will Ferrell. Christmas movies grace my television from December 1 until December 26, and not a day sooner. I just can’t buy into this Christmas in November ridiculousness.
Profit hungry business giants have decided that we should start emptying our wallets in November. As consumers, we are pathetically predictable – if they give us Christmas early, we will buy into it. And with every year, the snowy holiday will swallow up another one in its path. We’ve already forgotten to respect Remembrance Day, although I suppose poppies match Christmas. It won’t be long before pumpkins start wearing Santa hats and Halloween disappears altogether.
What’s more is that while everyone is running around getting prematurely excited for Christmas, while my television is being taken over by bad holiday commercials advertising eternal familial bliss, I am still slaving away with my studies. While Christmas carols are cheerily taking over store soundtracks, I am trying to determine which term paper to start first. I would be far happier if retailers would wait for December to start cramming Christmas cheer down our throats.
Christmas takes up more and more of the calendar each year, and succeeds in making me good and bitter by the time I am finally able to enjoy it.
