Is it just me or have the weeks been flying by? I find the speed in which time flies is directly proportional to the length of your "to do" list-- the more you have to do the faster time fies.

The last bag of Halloween M&Ms was barely out the door when Christmas stuff was hitting the shelves. I guess when other moms & dads were trick or treating with their kids, aggressive retailers were at work filling the shelves with foiled reindeer chocolates and dancing Santas.

This phenomenon- the super-advanced merchandising of the winter holidays is known as Christmas Creep. Why let holiday stock sit in the back room when you can be filling in shelves emptied of seasonal stock and grabbing full prices sales from folks who shop early?

For independents it's a defensive move against large chain retailers who have begun to discount their Christmas stock in November.

The idea of grabbing customers early shouldn't be underrated. I confess to having already purchased my annual gift of Christmas ornaments for all the neices and nephews. Why so early? Because the hot items go fast. And darn it if I haven't already missed the Holiday 07 ornaments for Thomas the Tank Engine and Percy I wanted for my train-mad son. All my local stores are sold out. In fact the sales  associate laughed at me and told me they were gone the first day. It was November 7th for goodness sakes!

Bottom line- as you shop the shows for seasonal merchandise for next year. Plan to bring some in early and I mean in the summertime and start your Christmas in July, Advent in August and Secret Santa in September displays. In fact, if you space out your shipments you'll always have something new to show your regulars who shop early.

Christmas in July? You better believe it. Easter baskets on Boxing Day? Not so far fetched anymore.

Got any great stories to tell about Christmas Creep? Share them at our forum:

Be well--Beth