Creepy.

Halloween is the best holiday.

I hate Christmas creep as much as anyone, but that made me smile. Now I've got this incredible urge to find Nightmare Before Christmas and watch that.

Slightly off-topic related question, but are there any laws against taking photos in stores since they are technically private property?

I mean if they don't want you to, can't they ask you to leave and kick you off the premises if you refuse?

The Target in Dorchester, MA has a small section of xmas lights stuck behind the Halloween goodies, along the back wall of the store.

I was actually quite excited to see it, because I had a legitimate, non-holiday-related use for white xmas lights.

Now that I have the lights, xmas can go away for all I care until 12/23 or so.

4 months before Christmas? They are kind of ruining my enthusiasm. Christmas decorations/music probably won't seem so special if they are up 1/3 of the year 'round. Maybe the reason holiday sales are off and merchants are disappointed each year is this crap. "Honey, want to go to Lowes?" "Nah, I can't stand to hear that jingle bell song for the 100th time this month...shouldn't we be buying some Halloween candy soon?"

@dragonfire81:
There are no laws against taking the photographs but if asked to leave you must do it as soon as they ask. If you do not leave then it is trespassing. They may also require you to delete the photos depending on where you are taking the photos.

It's the Nightmare BEFORE Christmas.

@Saboth: might want to re-check your math... (exactly) 3 months until christmas

I was watching the Show Daria last night and they have a spoof of entertainment tonight called sick sad world. The episode I watched had some guy talking about Christmas in August because Christmas=Revenue.

I just wish I was at work so I could upload the clip since it fits Christmas creep perfectly. :(

@Project_J187: wasn't*

zombie jesus?

@Saboth: I saw Christmas decorations in Hobby Lobby in the middle of July. *sigh*

Christmas creep started at the wal mart and big lots here in JULY.. Yes, 110 outside and they want me thinking about holidays. It seems to get worse every year.

@legwork: I see what you did there.

Excellent. Keep posting articles like this, and keep pushing back at these scumbag retailers, until they get the point and KNOCK IT OFF already!

I'll definitely have to go to my local Lowe's. I need a Christmas tree. The Home Depot near me doesn't have any seasonal stuff, regardless of the season.

I saw a display of Christmas socks at a local Target before they had their Halloween items on the shelves. All Christmas offers me is pie and stress; I want my Halloween, damn it!

@augiet65: I've been asked to leave from a clothing store after taking a picture.. I also had a few hundred dollars worth of clothes when I put them down and left. Their loss.

There's enough holiday stuff up everywhere to already get me into the Humbug spirit. I'm surprised I have not heard holiday music in stores yet.

@tape: Haha, Target had those lights for 50 cents a box *after* Christmas. I got about 10 boxes to hang up for a New Years party. Then I hung them up in my room.

Man, next thing you know they'll have Christmas stuff out in December!

@gStein:

While technically the length of time is 3 months, we are still in September. If you made the statement: "In how many months of the year did Lowes have Christmas advertising up?", you would answer "4 months". If you asked the question: "Counting a month as 30 days, for how many months from this date to this date, did they have decorations up?" You'd answer 3.

@Daggertrout:

Unfortunately, it will be Christmas 2010 stuff.

@Project_J187: wow where are you catching repeats of Daria? That brings me back to being in high school and watching that show....la la laa la laaaa

I am happy with Christmas creep! I want more creep from the other holidays too.

After all these years of "its gets earlier every year" it's pretty apparent that these stores do this because it works. Apparently, there are a lot of people who want this stuff up.

Besides, what the heck would Lowes sell for Thanksgiving anyway?

@teke367: Inflatable turkeys

@dragonfire81:

I'm not a lawyer so don't take this as legal advice. Consult your lawyer for a more detail and accurate interpretation.

It really depends if it is explicitly stated upon entering the property.

or if this falls under the same conditions as say using a tape recorder or filming because it records audio. Then it will depend on your state.

[www.rcfp.org]

If the state is a single party or two party state you may need the consent from the other party. But if that was the case then all the paparazzi in California will be out of the job and arrested. I think photography may be interpreted that way or it may just be exclusively for the audio. Again, not a lawyer.

Yeah, deck those freakin' halls and I will not set foot in your store this fall, idiot retailers. Stop hijacking our holidays!

@teke367: Home Depot is selling hay bales and fake corn stalks.

I work in a retail store that has both Halloween and Christmas items up already (although thankfully, the Christmas stuff is separate and located in another area than the Halloween merchandise.)

What is scary is that I've had more than a few customers in the past week looking for Christmas lights/decorations.

I work in the baby department at Burlington Coat Factory, and we already have an endcap with Christmas clothes on it. It's amazing that they sent us Christmas stuff in September, but during the summer we barely got any swimsuits for babies. But to console everyone here, the Christmas stuff will probably go into a box for a couple months because we need the room for more current stuff (like Halloween). Even though I work in a store that does this stuff, I still haven't figured out why it happens. Sooner or later, it'll become the norm to start displaying Christmas stuff on New Year's Day (new stuff, not clearance stuff from last year).

@mamalicious:
We have had Christmas up since September 13 at kohls

I knew Christmas was pretty much shot to hell about six years ago -- not so much because the hype was beginning in September, but because the day after Thanksgiving, on the early morning local news on the local (Wash DC) NBC affiliate, at least half the stories were weakly-disguised advertisements for Christmas sales at Best Buy and Wal-Mart and, on the NBC "Today" Show, the opening shot at the top of the show was a live shot from inside a Wal-Mart, right when the doors opened, showing a mob of people bursting through the doors and running towards the camera, then cutting to a shot of people at an electronics counter scuffling and fighting over Playstations and XBoxes.

This was also the year (2003) that the wire services were overflowing with stories about people brawling and trampling each other at Best Buys and Circuit Citys in an effort to get the last Playstation, the last XBox, the last HDTV set.

Fvck Christmas.

@Project_J187: Where are you catching repeats of Daria??? I miss that show so much.

I think we need a little Christmas for the cheer alone. I liked the pictures. I am dreaming of cooler weather now and the fragrance of baked goodies and the little lights on the tree. See, don't you feel better already? I know I do. OK so maybe I am need of some stress relief pronto.

Is it any wonder that by the time Christmas actually gets here I'm already sick of it? It would be nice if the stores could give Halloween stuff more space until November 1st at the very least.

@dragonfire81:

I have taken camera phone pictures at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc and not hidden it or been asked to stop or leave. In my case, I am photographing an item or interst to see if it matches something I may have at home, is the right color, etc. I am doing it to make sure I am right before buying instead of buying and returning.

what better way to celebrate Halloween than to get a free and cover it with lights and put gifts under it?

My Hobby Lobby started in June. I went to buy Halloween stuff there yesterday and they were getting rid of Halloween stuff to make room for more Christmas stuff. They had one side of an aisle with Halloween. I said something to the person who was setting the stuff, and she tried to sell me on how it was a good thing. Reducing the selection of Halloween to make room for Christmas stuff in September when you already have 10 aisles of stuff for Christmas is never a good thing.