Good thing people don't buy Christmas pets this early. ba-dum-bum [/bad joke]

As I've said here before, if people are buying you can't really complain about the stores selling.

I really wish Don would have asked the people why they were buying. That to me is the real mystery.

Will someone PLEASE stop the world so I can get off?

Hobby Lobby really doesn't suffer from Christmas creep. A lot of people purchase their supplies well in advance so they can spend the next several months putting together bizarre Santa Claus tchotchkes.

I almost bought Christmas cards from a local bookstore. I mean, come on! They were 75% off.

WOW!! This is actually worse then when my husband walked into a nationally known drug store last November and saw Easter stuff on the shelves above the Christmas decorations. But on the other end of this, last year by the time Christmas did arrive, there was very little Christmas decorations left!!

There is no Hobby Lobby in NYC but isn't that the store that runs full-page creepy ads that if you don't accept Jesus Christ the Savior you will burn in hell with the Jews and Muslims. There is definitely some "craft/hobby" store that runs these ads all the time and they're a bit unsettling.

@johnfrombrooklyn: Er. What?

That's... really creepy.

Why is this Consumerist worthy again? Who cares when stores start selling holiday supplies?

News to Consumerist:
People who do MASSIVE Christmas displays each year - the type that might shop somewhere like, I don't know, Hobby Lobby? - start planning their purchases in July/August.

These people win awards for their decorations and are featured in newspapers and television. They do it because they just love the Christmas season. Many of these people start decorating in August/September.

Some places sell Christmas decorations year round... should we call them out for "Christmas Creep" January 1st?

Please get over the Christmas Creep, and stop being such a grinch.

@jan_itor: Agreed. I give craft stores a pass on this because a lot of hobbyists who make their own decorations or gifts sometimes need a six month head start.

@johnfrombrooklyn: They're known for being overtly Christian and staying closed Sunday as a consequence, and they run a Christian-themed message in their Easter ad ([causerelatedmarketing.blogspot.com]). However, that one is pretty widely known already, so I think if they were also running explicitly anti-other-religions ads that would have gotten press alongside it.

So my guess is either the story of the ad has gotten twisted, or it's another company.

Because jan_itor, we don't like seeing Christmas crap in July up to January. Besides, SOME of us are NOT christian BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

Because jan_itor, we don't like seeing Christmas crap in July up to January. Besides, SOME of us are NOT christian BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

If I wasn't lazy (and/or in a meeting...oh shut up, I bet you surf during meetings, too) I'd go back into the archives here and see if there aren't suggestions that we save money during the winter gift-giving occasions by making a little something rather than spend money on pre-made lead-filled whatnot. But I am lazy so I won't go look. I'm pretty confident they're there.

I have a husband, two children, a full-time job, a house and acreage that both require maintenance, extended family (hello sandwich generation!), church and school volunteering commitments and blah blah blah. When does Consumerist believe I should conduct these money-saving miracles of true-meaning-of-Christmas handicraft and with supplies purchased when? HELLO!

My friend offers me wool from her sheep. In my house, the process from wool to sweater requires about 18 months. The (winter-themed) beads I bought - from JoAnn Fabrics - will require every minute of the roughly five months and one week I have left to transform them into bracelets for my sisters.

As far as I'm concerned, all this handwringing over Christmas Creep - which seems designed to shame more than inform - can suck it.

This is another one of those cases I'm not sure merits the label of "Christmas creep." Aren't craft stores like Hobby Lobby supposed to be a bit ahead on the calendar? They're selling to crafters who are making stuff in advance of the Christmas season. Aren't they? How unreasonable is that, given the market they're in?

As for "Christmas in July" promotions like Creative's, I recall lots of retail chains, especially the big appliance stores, having them. Sure, it was an unoriginal idea even back when that "Crazy Eddy" guy wore a cheap Santa beard & wig that slipped off his head while he flailed his arms around yelling about prices being "insane" ... but just by referring to these as "Christmas in July" sales, they're indicating they know it's off the calendar.

If you want examples of "Christmas creep," the most remarkable one I can recall was about 10 years ago in mid-July. I went into a Filene's department store and saw them putting up a "trim-a-tree" department, complete with one of those miniature motorized "staking pond" things and fake snow spread around.

@jan_itor: Dear Consumerist, Holiday Creep stories are probably my favorite thing about the Consumerist. I also love the outrageous shipping containers and funny signs. Could you please get rid of all the posts about boring health care and credit card reforms? Anything about bailouts or the auto industry isn't interesting to me either and my opinion matters the most, so please remove all of those from your site. I am also disgruntled at the lack of cats in today's articles and clearly I know how this site should be run better than any of you actually working for it do.

Thanks,
Calquist

@PsiCop: Er, uh, that's "skating pond." Woops.

I'd be more surprised if there were craft stores that hadn't started selling at least some Christmas stuff yet.

I have only seen Fall/Thanksgiving decorations in Joann's Fabric and Crafts but they have Christmas themed yarn on their web site:
[www.joann.com]

Honestly, if I were going to knit a Christmas stocking I'd have to start now.

I tend to give craft & hobby stores a pass on all this stuff. Remember that most of their sales aren't to people looking to decorate their tree or buy toys early - it's to people who might spend the next few months hand-making Christmas gifts for their friends and family. Or decorations for their home.

@Pink Puppet: Exactly! This isn't creep but the start of the Christmas craft season to hopefully allow enough time to finish said crafts before the holidays.

@johnfrombrooklyn:

Christ + crafts! Brilliant.

@floraposte:

Thanks for the link. That was very interesting.

@Pink Puppet: That's one thing in the fabric and crafting sections (where they DON'T have Xmas stuff out yet, I was just there Monday), but in the Hobby Lobby home decor section? That's creep.

@johnfrombrooklyn: Mine says "Closed Sundays so our employees can spend time with their families or in religious obligations." The Hobby Lobby I used to live near was the only place that would hire a Muslim woman who wanted to cover at work, and all her coworkers refrained from bringing lunch to work during Ramadan to make her more comfortable.

I've heard tell there are some freaky-ass Hobby Lobbies out there, but the ones I've lived near have always been very accommodating of non-Christian religions, moreso than most employers.

@PsiCop: I was just at Hobby Lobby, and they DON'T have the Christmas CRAFT stuff out yet (at mine) ... just the Christmas home decor stuff. Which, to me, makes it really EGREGIOUS creep.

(Me, I get my Christmas hobby supplies on Dec. 26 when they're marked off like 80 to 90%.)

@savdavid: So don't buy it? The shit obviously sells, let them make their money.

Okay, I work for a craft store (not HL). It takes many, many payroll hours to put that stuff out (not to mention that it is multiple truckloads which have to be sorted and loaded and unloaded). Think about it, a typical craft store is going to convert 1/4 of its space over to Christmas. That's not to mention the fact that all the folks who make a little extra cash making wreaths or what-have-you want to get the jump on it. And, if you are carrying anything even vaguely collectible, the collectors like to get their new pieces ASAP, too. Granted, it's a little creepy at a drug store, but craft stores actually do have a reason for getting that stuff out quickly.

hobby lobby is fucking /creepy/ its a christian heavy craft store if youve never been there.

it was like a tiny christian bookstore exploded inside of a michaels.

(speaking of which, their prices stink compared to michaels too)

Meh. I was almost going to snap a few pictures the second to last week of June when my girlfriend and I stopped into the Hobby Lobby that just opened up by us, but I figured it was common knowledge that craft/hodge podge stores usually have Christmas...things...out nearly year-long.

My Hobby Lobby location had Christmas items at the end of June. Nothing was on sale though!

There are Hobby Lobbys in OK where I'm visiting next week, and they all put out their Christmas crap in July. And yes, John from Brooklyn, they are batshit freaky Christian like that.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): My roommate in college worked many years at a Hobby Lobby, and although she was not religious herself she was very happy for the guaranteed Sundays off, as they tended to work her like a dog the other 6 days a week.

I didn't realize there was a time when Hobby Lobby DIDN'T sell Christmas stuff. It might be because I live in the Buckle of the Bible Belt but I'm pretty sure our Hobby Lobby is always selling Christmas stuff.

I've got a big hate-on for the Christmas Creep (the moment it overtakes Halloween I will have a big problem), but I usually give hobby and craft stores a pass, since little ol' grandmas need to get an early start on that Christmas Crosstitch.

@savdavid: Allow me to translate: "Please debate me about atheism."

@Pink Puppet:

exactly what I was going to say. that crazy crap takes time, dangit.

@savdavid: I am an atheist and I have no problem with this. It might be a bit much if the store music was already Christmas music though. Hobby Lobby is a store that is closed on Sunday, so seems like Chick-fil-a that the management has some Christian views that reflect on the business.

And also, even as an atheist, I have to start working on my Christmas display soon (maybe August). At least in terms of starting my programming for my light show.

Well, obviously, there are enough people buying Xmas stuff this early. If none bought it at this time last year, they would have postponed it for this year.

The deeper, sadder part is all the consumers, who stress about Xmas 6 months in advance. It's more about putting a facade of happiness and fake cheer by buying things and toys and decorations, rather than actually being happy.

This must have been the first time the submitter has ever been to this store. They always have Xmas stuff. Hobby Lobby is a store that exists for crafters and they can't wait till December to start the crafts. My mom is one of those people and she usually has all of her Xmas shopping done by August then she can go to Hobby Lobby and get busy making new decorations for the tree.

@savdavid: Also, for those for which Christmas has an actual, important meaning, this shit is ridiculous. Christmas is supposed to be special, but apparently this store doesn't believe it is, considering it believes it's apparently Christmas season for half the year.

Consider this: You spend more of your life in Christmas season than you do sleeping. How can that be special?

My Hobby Lobby in the Flint Michigan area had the Christmas stuff on the shelves about the time school got out in June..Not just a few things-rows and rows. This is considered the seasonal part of the store. You walk in and there are scarecrows and spooky stuff-then two rows off, Ho Ho Ho's. I stopped doing anything Christmas back in the 90's. All that greed I can live without.

I know that this sounds funny but a lot of people like myself make Christmas presents and use craft stores to get the products needed for that task. Most of the time
I go to Michaels, But have to go to Hobby Lobby for the small, quick stuff.(it's closer) It's nice to know that I can get some of the materials at Hobby Lobby now instead of ordring materials off the webb...

I work at Hobby Lobby. We are a craft/hobby store. Emphasis on the word CRAFT! We actually got our first skid of Christmas trees the first week in May. But back to the crafts. One of the main reasons we have Christmas stuff up so early is so the crafters can get to doing what they do best for craft shows/fairs.

Hobby Lobby is a Christian store, we play Christian music: with NO lyrics. It's just calming background music. They have crosses and the such because it is a Christian store. We don't have Halloween decorations this year because it is a Christian store.

We will start getting Easter merchandise around Thanksgiving. This is going to happen no matter what. I had a customer comment that her mother and her had the idea that craft stores are going to continue putting up Christmas stuff earlier and earlier until sooner or later they'll get back to the right time. I bluntly said "no". We put up the Christmas stuff the same time last year.

WE ARE A CRAFT STORE, THAT IS WHAT WE DO!

@idx: Ah. You've apparantly been on the internet before, as I translated it the same way.

Blah blah blah, flying spaghetti monster, your religion iz dumb, blah blah blah.

@Tzepish: Again, I'd like to point out that this is a craft store. Many people who believe that Christmas has an important meaning show it by making seasonal gifts for people instead of taking part in the retail feeding frenzy. Where would they buy their supplies if they weren't available now?

Many people who believe Christmas has an important meaning hand-make their decorations. Some of these can be quite time-consuming. Why make them wait until Black Friday to procure their supplies?

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Agreed - Christmas supplies/fabrics make sense, decorations don't!

@Rectilinear Propagation: Right, but as has been noted, it's decorations that are out, not craft supplies...

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

That's good to know. And I never HEARD of the weird ad thing that johnfrombrooklyn posted about.

We have two Hobby Lobbies here and I love them. :)

@LaurelAdamantoise:

How in the hell do you have time to knit a sweater? You're BUSY! :O

@HogwartsAlum:

Oops, meant to add before posting...I wish I could knit so I could make myself a sweater. :)

@RecordStoreToughGuy: I suppose you have a point, tough guy.