Celebrating is a huge deal for many people no matter the occasion.No matter which holiday you celebrate, celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or Las Posadas, you know as soon as November hits it is the “holiday season.” The day after Thanksgiving, or even as early as Halloween, your nearest Target and Walmart will turn into a sea of green and red, full of Santa hats, snowflakes, and giant inflatables. While a big number of people in the United States do celebrate Christmas, non-Christian holidays are pushed to the side and ignored.

Even though I find myself as someone who can not get enough of Christmas, it still makes me wonder: Why do stores put “end of the year” decorations out so early?

I have been noticing these patterns since I was young. I always thought that it was the customers that asked for the season to come early, in hopes of celebrating it longer. As I have grown and understood the importance of marketing I realized the companies are the ones that start the season so prematurely. 

Many journalists have covered “the Christmas creep” marketing strategy. The Christmas creep can be traced back to the 1980s, where retailers try to sneak their holiday merchandise on shelves in small amounts early in the year and creep into your shopping experience. The most important reasoning for this marketing strategy is that companies make most of their money during the holidays. Stores will try extending their success earlier into the year in an effort to earn the extra cash for a longer period of time. 

Although Christianity is not the official religion of the U.S. Christmas, a Christian Holiday is still ranked number one. Globally New Years’ (January first) is the most celebrated Holiday. 

For lots of Americans, when they hear Christmas the first thing that comes to mind is not the religious aspects of the holiday, they think of presents. I admit, when I was younger I only saw Christmas as a way of getting new toys and clothes, but now that I am older I have come to appreciate Christmas on a whole new level. I have a big family so it is pretty hard to get everyone together but my family is crazy for Christmas, so that’s the one time of year we can get everyone together. 

It is human nature to be competitive. So many people’s main focus each Christmas season is to out beat others on gifts. No matter if it’s quantity or quality, people are always trying to one-up the person next to them. Black Friday is a huge deal, no pun intended, for people that want to enjoy the holidays on a budget. According to Bustle, companies will purposely state they only have a small amount of big popular items so customers will feel the need to buy them as soon as possible. I recall my cousin telling me a story about how she ended up with an unwanted Furby because her dad saw people swarming around the Furby’s bin, and he just had to get it. 

Between the marketing strategies, competitiveness and the joy Christmas brings there is still no clear answer as to why Christmas is celebrated more than any other end-of-the-year holiday. So I challenge you, this holiday season actually spend time with your loved ones, don’t stress over what gift you will get or give, take a moment to appreciate other cultures and their celebrations. A new year is just around the corner, so what better time to reflect than now?