By AMELIE EGAN, AMMINI GUZZARDO, LEA LAGACHE,
IYLA ROBINSON, & EMELIA STEVENSON
of the Peoria Academy Journalism Club

Imagine walking into your local Costco, Lowe’s, Hobby Lobby, or Sam’s Club in September to find it fully decked out for Christmas. The Peoria Academy Journalism Club believes that Christmas decorations in September are not the best idea. For one, the Christmas section of many stores takes up an unusually large amount of store space very early in the year, sometimes replacing necessities on the shelves. This also makes the year seem to go by faster, as it feels like Christmas has nearly arrived before fall has even begun. An old saying goes that “Christmas comes earlier each year,” and they may not be wrong, as holiday supplies fill the shelves at our local stores earlier and earlier each year.

Historically, the final quarter of the year consistently outperforms the others in revenue. The final months are generally high-spending months: either gifting, hosting family/friends, or decorating for the various major events. Halloween is normally introduced in mid-to-late September, which then gets quickly replaced by Christmas decorations. By the time of mid- and late-October, Halloween has already been cleared to make way for Christmas, a holiday still two months away. This phenomenon is known as Christmas Creep, the steady “creeping” of Christmas into the fall months. For stores and companies to increase revenue from Christmas and Halloween decorations, they set up holiday items much earlier than the actual holiday, allowing for more exposure and time for consumers to purchase decorations. To keep up with competitors, stores release their products sooner and sooner, in an attempt to be the first.

The community of Peoria Academy agrees that Christmas decorations should not be put out in stores before Halloween. A journalist from Peoria Academy interviewed students and faculty, and it seems the unanimous answer was that there is no need to put them on the store shelves so early. Not only is it aggravating to go shopping for Halloween decorations and find only Christmas accessories, but it encourages unhealthy spending habits, and can create “hurried sickness” in consumers. According to Chicago Psych, people with hurried sickness feel overwhelmed, rushed, and anxious. Hurried sickness can tak a serious toll on your mental health causing feelings of insecurity and inadequacy.

Now what does hurried sickness have to do with Christmas decor being put out early in stores? Well, it gets shoppers to start thinking about Christmas. The earlier the accessories are put out the sooner you think about Christmas, making it feel like Christmas is closer. This can cause consumers to stress and rush through the holiday season. It contradicts the thought of living in the moment.

However, this is not the only issue with early decorations. Christmas overshadows most winter holidays. Stores could make holiday displays more inclusive and set aside sections for multiple religions and cultural celebrations such as Kwanza, Hanukkah, Diwali, and Day of the Dead. Additionally, Christmas decorations and presents could be displayed after October, so each holiday has its moment to shine, no matter what the religion is. This approach allows all traditions to be represented fairly while still celebrating Christmas.

Though this “Christmas Creep” is more beneficial to companies for increasing revenue, we find it steals the magic of each holiday such as Halloween or Thanksgiving. At the same time, it does not highlight other holidays that are of equal importance to others. Putting up Christmas decorations in stores closer to December isn’t necessarily taking away the magic of this holiday season, but rather giving each holiday the chance to be showcased. This way, we can include different cultures and take things slower to enjoy each holiday season to the fullest!