Santa Claus is Coming To Town (in July)
Why are stores starting holidays sooner and sooner each year?
It’s October 31st, and you’ve made an emergency stop at Dollorama for a last-minute Halloween costume. But, when you walk into the store, you’re met by…Christmas decorations? Four aisles of wreaths, Santa hats, and other red-and-green paraphernalia. The only Halloween costumes left are in the clearance box, on a shelf, filled with fake cobwebs, slowly collecting real ones.
Every year, it feels like the holidays are imposed on us faster and faster. Valentine’s Day arrives the day after New Year’s, pushed out prematurely by Easter, which is shoved aside by Canada Day. By mid-July, Halloween has returned, and Mariah Carey is ready to hit her high note on the first day of November. The process repeats every year, leaving shoppers and decorators alike asking…why?
Last year, The Guardian published an article proving that Christmas has been creeping up faster and faster, with Christmas markets around the world starting earlier as the years go by. Interestingly, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, dates were advancing to the end of November, but the trend dropped dramatically after the pandemic. This lends itself to theories that escapism is one of the driving forces encouraging companies to push festivities on the consumer. With the economic struggles dominant in urban life today, people need reasons to splurge and treat themselves. It is much easier, after all, to justify buying a limited-time peppermint drink than a regular coffee in November. Buying themed items also encourages a sense of community and belonging among those who participate, just like any other trend.
Physical stores and markets aren’t the only culprits in perpetuating these trends. As early as July, social media accounts begin posting about Christmas. Halloween inspires thousands of costume transition videos, and even smaller celebratory days—like National Girlfriend Day, National Boyfriend Day, and National Singles Day—get their spotlights throughout the year. Everyone is encouraged to create content for the holidays, whilst simultaneously “living in the moment.” The solution? Preparing, filming, and posting ahead of time to ride the currents of the algorithm.
This isn’t to say there is anything inherently evil about buying into the holiday spirit, but being aware of how much we spend is important. Companies creep holidays on us constantly, feeding off the sense of community and stress relief that the holidays create. They thrive on customer demand, creating more products and trends, and in return, pressure increases for customers to participate.
One recent example is the viral Starbucks Bearista cup: for just under 50 dollars, and only suitable for cold drinks in the winter, the Starbucks product promises to “bring instant joy to every sip.” The results of this particular Christmas treat were physical fights in stores as people tried to get their hands on the limited-time item, ending with Starbucks issuing an apology for their underestimation of just how much demand there would be for the cups. Amongst other complaints, people were quick to point out that the cups would soon be taking their place on thrift store shelves, or collecting dust in an attic, with other dramatic and short-lived trends.
It becomes exhausting keeping up with every holiday, not just for the participants, but for our planet, too. Even before the pandemic, Zero Waste told the CBC that 540,000 tons of packaging are thrown out each year. That statistic is just for Christmas in Canada, and does not include all the decorations and clothing people may throw out each year. If you consider all of those factors, as well as the effects of life after lockdown, the number becomes too large to comprehend.
So, how can we enjoy the holidays without the stress of ruining our pockets and the environment?
The first step is the hardest: accepting that sometimes, old will do. We don’t need a new costume for every Halloween or candy cane mugs every December. If change is necessary, donate the old and go thrifting for new clothes. Use reusable packaging, or make gifts yourself. Rethink the third advent calendar of the season, or the cute-yet-problematic ursine cups for your coffee.
These are all much easier said than done, but awareness is an important step in the right direction. Maybe eventually, stores will put the Christmas decorations out on the first of December, where they belong.
