Things that are too early: Christmas at Costco and Calendars at Pomegranate

Went to Costcovia last night to buy a fax (replacing one that got fried in that last big storm). What did I see? Christmas wrap and ribbons! Not in a big way, not 1,000 square feet of Santa extravaganza, but there. I don't know about you, but I cannot stand the sight of shiny red ribbons and gold foil fou-fou in August. It is just too early. Give us our last bits of summer, then bring it on.

That's funny, because I own a retail store, and it's all about the wind-up towards christmas. We plan for and buy most of our holiday stuff in January or February, right after the last christmas. That doesn't bother me. As long as they're not playing jingle bells in the showroom, I can put my christmas hat right back on and think about what we need eleven months down the road. But I don't want to look at the stuff in the shop until it's time. The trade magazines and advice-givers are telling us to put out seasonal stuff out earlier and earlier. "People will buy it," they say, "no matter what the time of year." Yeah? Well, I say it takes the excitement and specialness of it away when you start seeing Halloween stuff in July. I do not want to smell any pumpkin spice candles right now, thank you very much.

On that note, we've been receiving our 2010 calendars at Pomegranate for the last month or so. This year I just let them ship when ready, and they were ready nice and early. Ha ha. At first we put them in the back room (that old "I don't want to see 2010 yet" thing) but then decided we should just put them out and start selling them. Because some of you are so organized and forward-thinking that you'll get your calendar now (or buy them as gifts) and have it ready to go. And get first choice, too. So there you go. We have lots of nice 2010 calendars for your perusal. But no christmas wrap. And no ghosts or goblins.