Drinking Kool Aid

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of year again, that magical time when everyone momentarily goes insane in the pursuit of gorgeous displays, and the gift industry collectively drinks the Kool Aid. That's right: It's show season!

It takes some serious reprogramming to get used to advertising for Christmas in the middle of the summer. I remember attending "Christmas in July" craft fairs with my grandma when I was a kid, and getting equally excited and frustrated about the idea of Christmas: Woo hoo, decorations! Red and green! Nope...still hot out. Blast! Don't even get me started on thinking of summer colors in the dead of winter. It just seems wrong. But then, this is an industry in which we're always thinking ahead, and I have to stop thinking like a consumer.

I couldn't help but notice that the school supplies were out in stores already. Never mind that I'm done with school; it still makes me cringe to see all of those shiny new binders and erasers infringing on the carefree days of summer. The nerve! And I love office supplies--it's a conflicted relationship. And what's with all the fall clothes crowding into stores now? They know it's still hot out, right? We won't have cool weather until at least October. I'm just breaking in my summer clothes!

This is my theory: store owners are really excited about NEW stuff! Who wouldn't be? Sure, their customers (like me) aren't ready for the change yet, but then we haven't been staring at the same displays day in and day out like the retailers have. I'm sure by the end of a season, they have feelings akin to rage at the trendy shirts hanging there, staring them down.

It's kind of fun, actually, to be operating a season ahead of the crowd. Who else gets to pick out their Christmas decorations in July (other than, you know, Martha Stewart)? It's like cheating. We get to celebrate twice. Now if only we could find a way to incorporate Halloween decorations into the equation. That is a holiday that could easily go all month as far as I'm concerned. So long as I can still find a few articles of clothing on store racks not made out of wool, I'll just go with the disjointed flow.