A lot of people joke about starting Christmas planning in July, but it really does feel like holidays start earlier and earlier every year. One of our stores where I live is already putting out Halloween candy, and I mean... don't get me wrong, Halloween is my favorite holiday ever, but it's kind of early to be thinking Halloween already. Or maybe that's just me.

Which got me thinking!

How about you guys? Are you the sort to plan early and get gung-ho about holidays months in advance? If so, what kinds of things do you do in advance? Or, if you're in the "stop putting holiday stuff out so early" crowd, what's your limit on how early you like to see holiday stuff? Color me curious.

For me, it depends on the holiday. Halloween hype can never start too early (heck, I leave a lot of my Halloween decorations up all year lol) and it makes sense to start planning early if you're making a costume yourself...those can take a lot of time to assemble. I don't see the point of selling the candy this early though, I'll admit.

As for Christmas, I really don't want to hear about it until after Thanksgiving. The earlier I get Christmas shoved in my face, the grinchier I'll feel about it and then I won't get "into the spirit" of it until maybe a few days before. I'm just not big on consumer culture so the emphasis put on buying all the things turns me off.

As for other big marketing holidays, let's see. I don't mind seeing Easter stuff pretty early as long as I feel like winter's over and I'm ready for spring. Valentine's Day is just stupid but it's pretty easy for me to ignore. All the other seasonal displays are relatively minor, maybe a small shelf of green stuff for St. Paddy's or something, so it's not really a big deal when it appears.

I never plan early but that's because I have to work on holidays most of the time and decided that I don't care for holidays anyway. XD

Valentine's Day never existed in my book, most useless day of the year for me personally. c:

I think for advertising holidays, no more than a month is advance is okay. I've seen Christmas trees in August, which I think is ridiculous. I have also noticed more places are starting to advertise for Christmas alongside Halloween. Seriously, why is it so hard to wait until after Thanksgiving to advertise Christmas?

...Oh wait, Thanksgiving doesn't exist anymore because shopping on that day is more important. -___-

With planning holidays, the timing depends on the holiday. If I have to give Christmas gifts, I get everything done in November before Thanksgiving. For Halloween, on the off chance I get to go somewhere, I like to plan as soon as I know where I'm going because I need to assemble my own makeshift costume. (Store bought costumes are extremely uncomfortable.) For Valentine's Day, I prefer to handmake something small within a week or two of the holiday. (Buying a traditional gift seems fake and forced.)

Something I like to do every major holiday is cook something special. I plan that a week in advance to avoid the last minute rush.

Halloween decorations already?? Omg :P

For me it depends on money and opportunity - if I see something and think it would be perfect for my mum, and I have the money, then I'll buy it. Especially if it's on sale or something. I've had Christmas presents in my wardrobe like 10 months early :o I don't tend to wrap them until mid December tho :P

I don't like starting holidays early, and I HATE when stores put out decorations/items months in advance. I want Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December only, etc.

I'm the same as , I would like to keep my holidays within the month they're supposed to be in. I'm in Canada and our Thanksgiving is early October, so here it's basically as soon as Halloween's over -- boom! Christmas shit everywhere. I mostly just feel bad for all the retail employees that have to work while listening to Christmas music every day for almost two months straight haha!

All in all though, people can do what they want. If people want to start planning Christmas in May, then have at 'er.

I'm pretty excited about the holidays more than usual this year, however I think it's with good reason. I am moving out of my parents' house when my fiance and I get married later next month, so it'll be the first year I am decorating my own house for the holidays. I have a little bit of a start with Christmas decorations (bought them after Christmas last winter when they went on sale) but I don't have any fall decorations yet. Actually, my future sister-in-law and I are shopping at some crafty stores tomorrow for decorations! But tbh, if I buy any decorations, I'm going to put them in storage until it's time to bring them out. I'll wait until the end of September (since that's when fall begins) or beginning of October to decorate. The decorations are on sale right now since it's not quite fall yet soooo I want to shop while there are sales out.

So in terms of putting out decorations, I'd rather wait until it's within reason, y'know? I can see putting out decorations in stores for the upcoming holiday, but it seems a bit early to put out Halloween candy?? Then again, maybe it's good marketing. I would have no self-control if I bought my candy now. I'd eat it all before Halloween LOL. But I am a true believer of don't forget about Thanksgiving. It's kind of sad that people immediately get into the Christmas spirit. I like Christmas and all but WOW Thanksgiving food is 10/10.

I'm usually in Halloween mode around Summer because I usually start planning my yearly Halloween house party. This year I'm focusing more on my wedding that is 3 days after Halloween so I'm skipping having a party this year.

With Christmas I start saving money literally the day after for the next year. The tree and other decor doesn't go up until the day after thanksgiving.

People have been steadily buying luminaire ornaments from my shop all month hehe.

I'm gonna quit being a scrooge this year and get all my coworkers something I keep telling myself, something handmade and useful! As to what that is, I never think of it and then its too late. :/ I have a lil brainstorm started for now though.

This year I plan on having all of my Christmas shopping done by December 1. I want to be more diligent about my knit and crochet gifts too.

heh i love halloween so im excited now that stores are stocking stuff early but august might be a bit TOO early like....maybe just start sept 1st....

i love to plan things really early like i try and get all my christmas shopping done two months in advance lol

I tend to do my Christmas shopping year round, as thats the best way, I've found, of making sure my son has lots of gifts without breaking the bank. I may spend $10/mo or set the money aside for a larger gift, but I make sure that he has enough that he doesn't feel less "loved" than his cousins, who have both parents (and an extra set of grandparents!) in their lives. This will be the first year where my son has more than just me to dote on him, and I'm excited to see how it goes.

I know that it seems really... obnoxious, or like he's spoiled, but this little boy will go out of his way to make the people around him happy (last year, he wanted an animatronic horse toy we saw at goodwill, and I agreed to get it for him, he decided to put it back in favor of getting me a coffee mug so that I would have a gift, too... and he was only 4 then.)

As for other holidays, I start setting up for Halloween in September (decorating the house, stickers on the windows, etc), October is costume shopping and I stock up on candy in case my son doesn't want to go out-- autism can be fun like that. He has graduated to "I'll wear a costume!" but still iffy about going out in costume.

Thanksgiving is one I don't really celebrate... I think we'll be celebrating it this year, but because I'm near my parents and finally have family to celebrate WITH and am not bound to work on Thanksgiving for Black Friday madness.... As has been pointed out, its now more important to shop on Thanksgiving than to spend time with family.

I've never celebrated Easter, as its not my thing at all-- Not a Christian, and now that I'm marrying into an Icelandic family, Easter doesn't seem likely to be celebrated still. LOL

I just elect to celebrate nothing. Its born partly from my upbringing, but also the frustration of said upbringing. At some point I said "To hell with it!" and have since just been aggressive about my discontent.

Honestly, I would be elated if they never stopped stocking Halloween stuff. I once went into a Garden Ridge around August and saw Halloween stuff and LOST MY MIND WITH JOY.

I mean, I'm sure that was partly because I live On The Actual Sun and seeing evidence that summer was nearing its end made me happy, but I'm also a hopeless goth that would love to be able to buy fangs and stupid little light up pumpkin jewelry at the drug store in April.

Christmas, though. As much as I love winter and the fact that that means that everything is snowflakes, I feel like every year it tries to smother out Halloween, which just makes me aggravated. I was once in a Toys R Us on Halloween night and they started in with Christmas music. Like, what even is that.

That said, after my two favorite holidays (Halloween, and November 1st -- Halloween Clearance Day), I would ideally like a break of about a week or two to enjoy Fall in peace and pumpkin spice before being barraged with Christmas. Ideally, it's after Thanksgiving when I'm ready for snowflake merchandise and Christmas stuff. But like, let me enjoy the one time of the year when the world and I are on the same page with the spoopy business pls.

Anytime earlier than a couple weeks before is too early.

My pet peeve for the end of year is a radio station that plays Christmas music from November till Christmas eve. Non stop, nauseatingly repetitive. I prefer a song by Papa Roach to show my dissent.

Its not even October and the crap is out now.

I don't see why people mind. It's not like they'd use that space to stock stuff people actually need more, and I imagine there are people who'd rather have those costs spread out rather than have to spend it all at once on top of whatever else they need (candy for trick-or-treaters, Christmas presents, etc.). Plus, as far as candy, if it's something actually seasonal and not, like, Halloween-packaged Snickers, then more power to the people who like those things.

It's a bit weird here, since people don't really celebrate Halloween and we don't have Thanksgiving, so while they don't have Christmas decorations out yet, they already started selling gingerbread and whatnot for Christmas, like, a month ago, probably. But my body almost definitely prefers that, rather than having all that on top of all the punch I'll be drinking once the Christkindlmärkte open.

Well, I have to start planning Christmas gifts in the summer, just because money, and if I'm making something/drawing something, time. But I really don't like seeing all the decorations and such for sale in stores before we've even had Halloween, let alone Thanksgiving. I remember it didn't use to start until after Halloween, but now it seems like things show up right with the back-to-school things.