I know this puts me in the minority, but there are days I actually listen to Christmas music or Christmas episodes of old-time radio shows during the summer. It just puts me in a good mood. It is kind of weird seeing decorations in stores so early though.

Well, granted Christmas is all Radio City Music Hall has.

Considering the overall journalistic quality of Metro papers around the world in General, is anyone really surprised?

Actualy, when viewed through the lens of the history of the universe, it IS right around the corner...

Oh, yeah, and that show sells out waaaay early.

I call it good marketing!

@MyLud:

When viewed through the lens of the history of the universe death is right around the corner too.

Thankfully we prefer not to view most things through that lens.

@superlayne: No way, what about that guy who blew his life savings renting it out so he could play the organ?

@chucklebuck: Sometimes, when it gets really REALLY hot outside (I live in Birmingham) in the summer, one of the radio stations will play Christmas music all day long to remind us all that it won't always be so hellishly hot.

Last year, in New York City, the Duane Reade nearest to my workplace put Christmas trees in their window display in late July. I started seeing other Christmas-themed displays and advertising, like the Metro banner above, several times before Labor Day.

When I worked in CVS as a high-school and college kid, I was shocked to discover that Hallmark started shipping us their boxes of "Keepsake Ornaments" with the July 4th shipments. I am not making this up. I wish I were.

Personally, I'm with my dad. From before I was born, there was a moratorium in our house on any mention of Christmas, whatsoever, until the Thanksgiving meal was over. (Of course, this resulted in a family tradition of my mother leaping up from her pumpkin pie and cackling madly to herself while finding a Christmas CD to blast through the living room stereo, but ah well.)

Tickets for for this show for key dates near the holidays are notoriously hard to come by and sell out quickly. I'm not at all surprised that they've got this up early.

And after all, it starts off with "It's officially summer, but..."

I used to leave up a christmas tree all year-round... full of geeky ornaments. The only christmas-y decoration was a Santa hat I'd put on the Dilbert "tree-topper" (which was replaced by a small Gundam Wing cap after Christmas).

Being of Jewish background, I am offended by the post for several reasons.

First, some Jewish people DO care about Christmas. Our reasons are immortalized in the classic cartoon, Christmastime for the Jews, which I look forward to each season as much as little boys and girls look forward to seeing their Christmas stockings filled with goodies.

[video.aol.com]

Secondly, as I have pointed out in previous posts, Christmas Creep should be limited to refering to that uncle you don't see that often who is a bit too eager to bounce you on his knee.

Christmas = people spending money. Companies really are getting impatient. But I can see the point of putting tickets on sale for this kind of thing really early, though. They tend to sell out exceptionally quickly, so being able to order them early is pretty cool.

and maybe to the "dear" aunt that insists on giving everyone in the family Christmas Sweaters.

[www.flickr.com]

Bah

I hate the "Christmas Creep". I do NOT hate the holiday though I am not a Christian. We celebrate the holiday season in my home lime many American families.

I've been of the opinion lately that Christmas Creep is what has started to kill allot of the excitement out of the season. Remember as a kid the fever pitch of excitement as Christmas approached, and you saw the decorations going up along the road, and town. It started sometime after Thanksgiving. You can only maintain the levels of excitement, and anticipation *so long* before it starts to pale, and you start feeling "meh" about the whole thing. As they drag Christmas earlier and earlier I find myself caring less and less for the holiday season.

The worst thing about Christmas creep is the music. It's bad enough listening to that shit all through December, now we have to listen to it through October and November too - soon they'll just play it all year long.

I hate Christmas, I hate it more when the advertising starts in the SUMMER. Bunch of fake consumer Capitalist bullshit so these faceless corporations can make money. So sick of it, every year in this country is the same bullshit.

@: Amen on the music! I don't mind the products in the stores. Hey, in a bad economy, people need far more time to make purchases. Who has the coin to buy everything in a 2 - 3 week window?

But my head wants to explode hearing the faux-cheery holiday music 2 - 3 months prior and knowing that I will continue to hear it over and over and over. Makes one want to commit random elficide.

@TakingItSeriously:

I hear ya!

It used to be just like that; in my family, we would not put up the tree until the day after Thanksgiving and we took it down on New Years Day. To this day I can't even think about doing it any earlier. Especially since I have to put up the tree at work, too, so I have to do two of them.

This is NOT Christmas Creep.

There's a finite amount of tickets available for the Spectacular. So if someone was planning a trip to NYC well in advance (which is usually recommended) what is the problem of getting the tickets to the spectacular?

You wonder why people stick pistols in their mouth at the holiday time. Being bombarded with this crap for 3-4 months.

Clearly, I am running behind the corporate schedule as I'm just now getting started with planning my Halloween decorations.

The question remains: Skeletal hands coming up out of the yard or *motion-activated* skeletal hands coming up out of the yard?

bah-Humbug! Meg, can I be Jewish too? I too could give a shit about x-mas so I'm like halfway there right- and I've already been circumcized, have a wide nose, and curly hair. boom- Jewish.

Btw- My g-parents are Jewish so I really am of Jewish decent, although my parents are christians. I'm so confused!

@: I vote for motion activated, it will scare the kids and the potential TP'ers

@JulesNoctambule: I vote for motion activated, it will scare the kids and the potential TP'ers

*Apologies for the double post, the reply to button still seems to be borked*

Don't know if this counts or not,but I did see a Christmas themed spot today with that year 'round creep,"Smilin Bob" for Enzyte. (The natural placebo that makes you think thatyour dingle has more jingle). You know the one where he has all the office hotties on his knee ? Now THAT'S creepy. Christmas creepy.

Feliz navidad, feliz navidad - it sneaked into my head while reading the Comments. And I can't get it out!

This is NYC, after all. Their corners are much bigger.

I think the bigger news story here, is that there is a Jewish person in New York. So rare.

@theblackdog: That's my feeling as well, if only to watch my husband jump and yell every time he comes home. He forgets easily!

@Farquar:
Are you saying there is a difference betwen death and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular?

It hit 112°F here today. I can't wait for my balmy 60°F Christmas season to arrive. And I'm Jewish, too.

And to think, I was surprised that Walgreens was putting out Halloween stuff already.

@: I've been seeing that, too, like crazy! And what makes it MORE creepy is in the ad, Smilin' Bob's WIFE is right there, when all the ladies are lining up to sit on his lap. So I guess they're the first pill that is actively promoting multiple partners, too!

Didn't they get nailed for fraud?

Anyways, back to Radio City. @: I agree -- except out-of-towners wouldn't necessarilly be getting the free Metro. This marketing is clearly for the locals...anyone see any banner ads for this?

First, some Jewish people DO care about Christmas.
@SkokieGuy: Huh? Nobody said there aren't any Jewish people who care about Christmas.

@BuddyGuyMontag: I don't begrudge them advertising the show itself early but Christmas itself is not right around the corner no matter how soon the show sells out.

As for Christmas music: Carol of the Bells is the shiznat.

Note to self -- do NOT set foot in Lowes in September. Go to Home Depot instead. Note is on topic, too.

@: I'm with you. I'm so sick of how commercialized it has become, I hate the music, I hate hearing the news reports of how jam packed the malls are, I hate hearing about the retards lining up at 2:00 a.m. on Black Friday, I hate it all! It's all about gimme, gimme, gimme! Did I mention I hate Christmas? Peace.

@purplesun: Ahhh, Halloween! my favorite time of year. I always hit up at least 10 haunted houses. How I love the fall. But I do live in Indiana so the fall season is about the only thing we have going for us. Covered Bridge Festival, here I come!

My establishment is receives initial shipments of Christmas cards in June, which totaled out to about a thousand "bulk" packages of cards.

The sick part is that, in the past, that batch sells out before Labor Day.

Not a story. Sorry.

this doesnt bother me too much because it is true that this show sells out fast. I remember during U2's last tour the tickets went on sale like 8 months before the show. There was a lot of advertising buzz for that. This seems like the same thing.

How is this a bad thing? To some people, the year goes by pretty fast. Hell, I remember new years like it was yesterday. I think the sentiment here is, before you know it, christmas will be here. Which is true.

What is this Christ-mas you all speak of? Now, Robot Hanukkah I know!

For them, Christmas is right around the corner. The Radio City show lasts almost 2 months. This year is Nov. 7 to December 30th.

Buying tickets for this usually starts around this time every year. Was nice to get discount tickets for them when I worked for the parent company. 35 bucks a seat was nice.

The reason it was probably in the Metro is because it was part of a national Ad buy. Stuff happens. Besides, locals may have visitors during the christmas season. I don't see a problem.

Is it any different than baseball teams encouraging you to buy season tickets for next season at the end of this season?

Oddly enough, recently I had the thought "wow, Christmas is only 4 months away". But that's more an indication of me getting older, not the year getting shorter.

Actually, my wife says "I think in August that Christmas is right around the corner, and before I know it, ITS HERE!"

COSTCO has started putting out Christmas ribbon.

And, husbands, if you want to give decent gifts to your wife, you really need to be shopping ALL YEAR LONG because those things you see at the gift shop in July that would make great presents won't be there on Dec 23 when you go shopping at the mall.

It's only taken me 30 years to learn this....

@: Wow! That was awesome :)

The Lowes in my town had Christmas stuff out on the shelves, for sale, last year in August. Nothing so far this year.

They might as well start hanging signs on December 26th that say 'Only 364 more shopping days until Christmas!'

Shoot, that means that Arbor Day is around the corner as well.

Seriously, I love the whole fall Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas series of holidays. I know it is a store scam, I know it's Christian-centric, but still it makes me want to burn a scented candle. I think it all starts with the sound of the first college football game on the radio.

I seriously already have my tickets for one of these performances in December. I'm coming from out of town though and needed to plan ahead. It does seem kind of odd that they're advertising it so far in advance to locals.