You might’ve heard the term “Christmas in July,” but it’s not just a saying — it’s a three-decades-old tradition for the Desert Lake Resort in Ontario with hundreds in attendance.
Members of the resort staff volunteer their time, along with some of those staying for the season, and work to bring fun to the approximately 200 people who attend.
“The kids love it,” Donna Glass, the resort’s office manager, told Global News. “It’s just a lot of fun for everyone. We enjoy doing it. It is a lot of work and when it’s hot, it’s more work.”
But in order to hold the event in July, the resort often relies on the majority of the decorations to be donated by those attending.
While Glass gets Christmas decorations from guests, their Halloween in August celebration has been easier to decorate for.
“Sometimes Walmart or some of the places will already have it on a pre-Halloween sale,” she said.
It’s not just Glass finding Halloween items in stores early.
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Some media users have posted videos showing various decorations available for purchase in Costco for the holiday that’s still almost 90 days away.
While some may be looking more for back-to-school sales, Halloween is making an appearance early and in some cases, so is Christmas.
Instagram user Laura Lamb, who founded Costcohotfinds — which isn’t affiliated with the big box store — posted video of a National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation advent calendar that she found at her nearby store last week.
The earlier arrivals of holiday decorations and items is not a surprise to retail analyst Bruce Winder, who told Global News that as products for back-to-school may not take up enough room, merchandise for other events fill the space.
“It’s like a trailer or a teaser ad to sort of get consumers thinking about it,” he said. “If they went two weeks earlier last year, this year they might go three weeks early because they’re trying to copy the results.”
That could mean holiday merchandise showing up earlier isn’t a fluke either, with Winder noting stores bringing out more sales earlier and making them more widespread. He said November, for example, has become more of a “Black Friday month” than a single day.
It’s a retail strategy, he said, as big stores have to compete with apps and online sales that can be delivered straight to consumers’ doors.
Though if you’re hoping to support local, that could be more difficult as they often can’t purchase items that far in advance or have the space to display out-of-season items.
Even as holiday shopping could begin earlier, recent Salesforce research suggests the holiday season could look different than previous years because consumers are carrying more debt — 37 per cent of global shoppers say they’re using their credit cards more now than a year ago.
Another 32 per cent say they’re using alternative credit services like “buy now, pay later” more frequently.
Given this debt, Winder said more frugal consumers could be lending to why retailers are trying to entice customers to get their Halloween or Christmas items even in the summer.
“Maybe if they see it at a particular retailer, they might think of that retailer as a store of first choice when they actually come back to buy,” he said.
— with files from Global’s Anne Gaviola.