'Christmas Creep' Continues

Remember when the Christmas season started at Thanksgiving? If so, you’re really old, like me. But even younger people probably don’t expect to see Christmas ads and in-store displays until Halloween.

Too bad – because now it starts with Labor Day.

In an unprecedented move, Kmart has aired its first holiday ad. The commercial, which promotes the retailer's layaway program, features a gingerbread man sneaking up on a woman working in an office cubicle. A voiceover says: "Don't let the holidays sneak up on you. Shop early with Kmart free layaway. … Kmart. Get in, get more Christmas."

The article in Ad Age notes that Target ran its first Christmas ad (well, they call it a ‘holiday ad’, but I’m not politically correct) on October 7 last year, so the Halloween barrier had already been demolished.