By: Katrina Penaflor

Managing Editor

Let’s talk about how basically, from a retail perspective, Christmas comes before Halloween. And, in all honesty, it is (The Journal does not permit me to use swear words so please insert your favorite one here) ridiculous.

Why is this ridiculous? Everyone loves Christmas, they say. It’s the most fun holiday to celebrate, they say. No one has a problem with seeing Christmas stuff so early, they say.

Well I say, let me celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving now, and get all this tempting, wonderful Christmas propaganda away from me—that is until the right time prevails. I will gladly celebrate it then.

Let me make this clear I am not bashing Christmas. I freaking love Christmas.

What upsets me is that I love the other holidays that come before it, like Halloween and Thanksgiving, and I hate seeing them dismissed in the retail markets.

I guess my anger this year started when I was at Costco.

I was minding my own business, looking for the best deal on hummus, and circling around the store eating a dinner sized portion of samples, when I stumbled upon the massive Christmas section.

It was Oct. 9.

Why? Why? Can’t I enter a bulk food distributor and see spooky costumes and decorations for sale without running into polar bear Coca-Cola cans?

Halloween is so much fun to celebrate, and I hate that stores are taking away from the enjoyment of that by pushing other holidays upon us.

I was at Target the other day, and when I was perusing the costumes aisles I found that they stopped short. Half the aisles that were covered in Halloween decorations and candy the week prior, were already cleared out and being stocked with Christmas lights.

It’s not like the store sold out of everything. I actually saw an overflow of decorations, candy etc. in the “designated Halloween aisles.”

It’s simply that Target, much like Costco, could not wait for the start of the Christmas sales.

I see why the stores do it: they want a jump-start on sales. However, I feel like these early Christmas preparations are taking away from the spirit of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

It also makes me think about the craze to start Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving – a Thursday, might I add – and the sales simply cannot wait for the holiday to be over. But that’s a completely different conversation.

Wouldn’t it be odd if around St. Patrick’s Day we were seeing fireworks displays at grocery stores? I just wish one holiday could be enjoyed at a time before barreling on to the next one.