by Hans Eisenbeis
The last place you’ll find me on the day after Thanksgiving is the mall. I understand why retailers want to jump-start holiday spending with deep discounts and boughs of holly, but I’m not that into competitive shopping. So you’d think I’d be happy with “Christmas Creep,” the slowly expanding holiday season that provokes some stores to hang candy canes and tinsel as early as Labor Day. In theory, the Creep should let grumpy shoppers like me avoid crowds and still save a few bucks on gifts. But for me, this calendar confusion just creates cognitive dissonance. Am I shopping for candy corn or candy canes? Pumpkins or nutcrackers? I’m so confused!
On the other hand, Black Friday (which seems to have been named for the mood it puts me in) continues to be the single biggest retail sales day of the calendar (NRF.com 11.24.09). Most Americans apparently want to take their holidays one at a time. Indeed, a recent survey by Consumer Reports says that 54% of us think that holiday shopping promotions should start after Thanksgiving (Consumerist.com 11.24.09). And this is not a new development. Way back in 1974, Charles Schultz decried the Creep in his TV special, It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, in which Charlie and his friends are demoralized by a sign in a Macy’s Easter display that says “Only 246 shopping days until Christmas!”
Which brings me to my own shopping secret. The truth is, the absolute best day to get Christmas shopping out of the way is … December 26. Happy holidays!
