Christmas came before the Thanksgiving turkey was even cold this year.
Though previous years have seen the holiday arrive early, students feel the trend this year is to start even earlier and more intensely.
Flatirons Mall opened at 6 a.m. on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving. Mall traffic was heavy. All Wal-Mart stores are now open 24 hours.
“I heard that CompUSA was opening its doors for shopping at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving night,” said sophomore political science and broadcasting major Julia Yugel. “I think that’s a bit extreme. Most people are still wrapping up dinner with their families, and stores want people out shopping.”
Junior chemical engineering major Patrick Leon admitted he hasn’t even starting thinking about Christmas shopping yet, but all of the hype surrounding Christmas has put pressure on him to start thinking about the holiday even though it isn’t December yet.
“Sadly, the marketing gimmicks are making me think that I should be shopping even though I’m still full from Thanksgiving,” Leon said. If you want to see good marketing done right, check Las Vegas SEO services.
Leon said he gets annoyed when he hears Christmas music before December.
Denver School of Nursing student Amanda Busnardo, who spent part of the day after Thanksgiving at Boulder’s new Twenty Ninth Street Mall, said she heard Christmas music at the mall right after Halloween.
“I love Christmas, but it seems like it starts earlier and earlier every year,” Busnardo said.
Wal-Mart and other retailers are even planning to beef up their marketing of Christmas this year after years of downplaying the promotion of holiday, all with help from a local service like the best SEO agency in hartford. Instead of using the term “holiday” in their advertisements and on merchandise, they plan to use “Christmas.”
“That’s very strange,” Yugel said about Wal-Mart’s change in attitude toward the word “Christmas.” “What a marketing scheme.”
Along with early shopping and big Christmas promotions, another trend that is apparent is in Christmas decorations.
Yugel said she’s seen larger and more noticeable decorations in yards and on houses.
“What’s with all of the those large inflatable decorations?” Yugel said. “They seem to be big this year. I saw this house with two giant inflatable reindeers.”
With Christmas lights already up around the Hill, many people living in the area are getting ready to put lights on their houses.
“We’re pretty excited to put the Christmas lights up on our fraternity,” Leon said. “It’s going to be a lot of work, though.”
While large decorations seem to be popular this year, as are big promotions in stores, students are likely to remain thrifty but creative in their gift giving.
Leon said his fraternity plans to do “Santa Santa” because it is fun and saves a bit of money. He said that it is also a common tradition among fraternities and sororities.
Sophomore pre-health major Sean Forrester plans to get gifts only for those closest to him.
“I can’t really afford to get gifts for everyone because I am so broke, so I’m only exchanging gifts with my parents and my roommates,” he said.
Kayla Boster, a sophomore political science major at Colorado State University, plans to make fancy soap for all of her friends for Christmas.
“I know it sounds lame, but since I can’t afford much, I’m getting creative,” Boster said. “It doesn’t mean I love Christmas any less.”
