Holiday Creep

Holiday creep. No, it isn't an especially festive version of a weirdo. The term officially refers to the habit of retailers to increase the time for selling seasonal or holiday merchandise so that they can make more money. You know it already. I am told that in Brno, Olomouc and Prague, merchants are already filling their stores with Christmas decorations and merchandise, and here I can tell you that the stores are full, and I mean full, of Halloween candy, costumes and decorations, and have been for the last couple of weeks. Halloween is another four weeks away! And next to the orange and black, the ghosts and goblins and jack-o-lanterns and witches they are beginning to add the red and green, the Santas and elves and candy canes of Christmas. I don't know where the stuff for Thanksgiving will go, or what that "stuff" might be. Turkey cups? Pilgrim pants? These days, when I hear "holiday creep", I don't think of it in the sense of a lengthened buying season, but as gradual infiltration of holiday icons and decorations into more and more products. I am used to the M&Ms (candy covered chocolates like Lentilky) changing colors for Christmas, Easter, and Valentine's Day, but now they are not only sporting Halloween colors (orange and brown, for candy), but little Jack-o-lantern faces,too. And I'm used to the cookies and cakes that come in orange and black for a few weeks, to the and the sudden availability of orange plastic wrap and cutlery. This isn't such a big deal, really, but now I really must protest the preponderance of Halloween icons on underwear. This is a fine example of what I call "holiday creep-y".
I kid you not. Here is the selection of ladies Halloween panties which are still available at Wal-Mart. They were all sold out at the Dollar Tree. They must be immensely popular; it has only been a few days since I was in and saw them the first time, and now, as you can see, there aren't even any orange and black Halloween thongs left! That's okay, though. I am not sure that I could endure the jokes from Thomas about pumpkins and black cats, anyway. See those catchy little phrases printed on the panties? I'll be discussing that phenomenon with you later.