Santa Claus comes to Santa Monica as shoppers peruse festively themed stores searching for that perfect gift as carols play ““ all signs point to December.
But in this Winter Wonderland, it’s actually November.
Even though there are still 39 days until Christmas, retailers have already begun their marketing for the holiday shopping season, extending store hours, introducing promotions and decorating their stores for the gift-giving bonanza that is set to begin.
Target, Best Buy and other retailers are staying open later, until 10 or 11 p.m. Third Street Promenade will erect an ice skating rink and The Grove mall in Beverly Hills will have a Tree Lighting Spectacular on Sunday featuring the Goo Goo Dolls, Patti Labelle, Mannheim Steamroller, Lauren Conrad, snow and even fireworks.
The National Retail Federation, an association for retailers, estimates that the average shopper will spend $816 on gifts this winter, and companies appear to be wasting no time kicking off the shopping season.
The federation forecasted that sales this year will rise 4 percent, reaching $474.5 billion.
Just days after Halloween, television ads featuring Christmas music and gift ideas hit the airwaves, and stores launched traditional holiday sales efforts.
“It just doesn’t feel natural to be celebrating winter holidays in the middle of fall,” said Kirsten Eckert, a second-year paleobiology and geology student. She added that she believes the Christmas shopping season should not begin until after Thanksgiving, the traditional beginning of the holidays for retailers.
Erin Osmak, a second-year political science and psychology student, said that before entering college, she had not noticed how early the Christmas season started, but the academic pace has heightened her awareness.
“I just think it sneaks up on us, because with the quarter system everything sneaks up on us,” she said.
Scott Krugman, vice president of the National Retail Federation, said the organization does not have an official date for the holiday shopping season to begin, but it begins tracking sales during the months of November and December.
He said research shows an increase in the popularity of gift cards, which most major retailers offer as a convenient present.
“For the first time ever, gift cards are the most requested holiday gift,” Krugman said. “It shows while consumers are in a very practical place, (they are finding) gift cards are becoming less impersonal.”
Seda Bolulu, a second-year international development studies student, said that while she will be purchasing both gift cards and actual presents for her friends and family, she prefers to receive gift cards.
“It’s a good present because it’s kind of like having money for a specific store,” she said. “I find it much more convenient and it’s just a better gift.”
Bolulu said she plans on spending $200-$300 on gifts for her friends and family, mainly at malls.
She said she plans on starting her holiday shopping around the Thanksgiving break, because it traditionally marks the start of the holiday shopping season.
The day after Thanksgiving is referred to as “Black Friday,” since it marks the start of the period where retailers are “in the black,” or make a profit. Retailers often hold large sales or promotions and the National Retail Federation reported that one in four shoppers last year were in a store at 5 a.m. that day.
The Monday following is referred to as “Cyber Monday,” which is the start of a similar rush for online retailers.
Students such as Marshall Voit, a second-year music education student, said they look forward to this time of year and like having a longer Christmas season.
“I delete my Christmas playlist (from iTunes) every year so I can remake it in October. And I miss it by July,” he said.
Voit, who is Jewish, said he loves Christmas because of his experiences in choir during middle and high school.