Merry Christmas In August – Does It Sound Crazy?
Back to school ads are still being displayed and yet some retailers are already planning and preparing for the Christmas holidays. It might seem a little premature since Christmas still less than 5 months away but retailers want to remind consumers that the big day is coming soon. One example is Selfridge, a massive department store in London’s Oxford that opened its seasonal shop last August 1.
Selfridge transformed the whole fourth floor into a winter wonderland complete with 50,000 Christmas décor, Santa Claus, snow, pine trees and elves dressed in green jumpsuits. It is still summer but customers can listen to endless soundtracks of Stop the Cavalry, Driving Home for Christmas and Jingle Bells. In spite of the summer temperature of 20 degrees, there was a festive mood in the store.
In the next couple of weeks, it is expected that Brown Thomas on Dublin Grafton Street will follow suit. Last year, its Christmas shop opened in August 20 with Santa Claus and his tiny helpers. For its loyal customers, Christmas in August is nothing new because Brown Thomas does it every year even with the faux outrage against an early Christmas.
If you think that Brown Thomas was the first to open its Christmas shop, you are wrong because Argos has started sending holiday catalogues to journalists this week. Even if you are not delighted to receive Christmas catalog in your mail, you will still be compelled to read just the same. This Early Christmas madness is not replicated elsewhere because generally Christmas celebrations are more muted and nothing festive happens until the first of December. In the United States, holiday shopping starts after Thanksgiving. Yes, indeed, Christmas in August sounds crazy.
On the other hand, retailers tend to increase the prices of gifts when Christmas is just around the corner. To be on the safe side, buy Women’s Christmas sweaters in August so that you will have something warm to wear in the chilly holiday weather. Another great idea will be to buy ugly Christmas sweaters while still on clearance sale at the retailers. You will have adequate time to turn the sweater into something uglier and more unique.
