Started Your Holiday Shopping Yet?

Hi this is Leslie Harris, and I have been known to do my Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, but I’ve also been known to start months ahead of time, if I find the perfect gift for someone. That usually happens when I least expect it. However, shoppers are expected to start earlier than ever this year, even though millions of people will have to start repaying their student loans that have been postponed for more than 3 years.

Experts are expecting October to be a particularly big month for Christmas shopping. Yes you read that right, October! This also means that shoppers are expected to spend more than in previous years. In fact, according to at least two studies, half or more than half of shoppers say that they will start their holiday shopping by Halloween! Holiday shopping is expected to increase by about 4% over last year.

Now I don’t think people should wait until Christmas Eve, but this seems very premature to me. I was in a big box store last week, and their Halloween items were gone, replaced by Christmas items. It was still September!

I think we all should slow down. Get through Halloween before Thanksgiving, and maybe start the holiday shopping sometime in November or December. I feel like we are always rushing towards the next holiday, and I wish we could just enjoy each one individually.

What do you think? Are you getting an early start on your holiday shopping? Do you expect to spend more this year? Let me know in the Facebook comments.