Christmas in July Sales Tap into Psychology of Extended Holiday Anticipation

It's far from the first time that retail marketing has found ways to use psychology in getting consumers to buy on a whim. Continuing through this writing, retail stores in America are finding themselves in an unprecedented place where floundering summer retail sales are forcing them to do something they've never done before: Christmas in July sales. This is supposed to make us feel better...if not concurrently worse. Conversely, the argument might be that these same retail stores don't really need to be selling Christmas items five months early to make consumer confidence return.

But whatever the real reason is behind the tactic, they may have unknowingly tapped into a part of the human psyche that pop culture helped cultivate during the 20^th century.

That particular active part of the human psyche is the deep-seeded Pavlovian response to the commercialization of holidays. Whether one denies that it's there, our negative and positive reactions to Christmas in July proves it's extant.

If you can find anything positive within all the deriding of holiday commercialization, it's in the anticipation of a holiday, particularly the Christmas holiday season. Even back to the earliest days of the commercial marketing of a holiday in Depression-era America, our populace would change to a completely different and an excited, childhood-induced frame of mind from the mood hanging over their everyday concerns. Eventually, it seems that the holiday season became the most treasured part of the year and as extended as summer vacation is for school kids. Once it was over, America started to languish in depression during the first two months of the new year.

The marketability and magic of the shopping season prompted retail stores to entice people into increasing this thought. Somewhere in that mix was the notion that it was also the only time of the year when any joy could be had or when people were the most personable and philanthropic. As artificial as it sounds to write this truism, most of us don't want to admit that we collectively think this way. With that through-line of thought over the decades, we've managed to make January one of the most tortuous months on the calendar.

Well, that is, for those not getting heart palpitations about Valentine's Day sales in the mall.

Despite all the castigation about malls moving Christmas sales ahead to a month to October the last few years, it hasn't stopped the marketing maneuver from succeeding. The only logical progression of it all for the 21^st century is pushing even more ahead to a time when the beleaguered public can revel in it to get away from the disturbed times we live in. The commercialized Christmas season has now become so engrained into the American mind as pure joy, the mere thought of it during an inopportune time can easily bring an endorphin release that could only be backed up by microscopic cameras in the human brain.

This might be broken temporarily once Christmas in July sales go into remission until around October. However, every indication seems to be there that it'll keep going unabated on through to December 26. And if we've reached a point where we need earlier leeway to get a full appreciation of a holiday, retail stores likely have other ideas on when to start a sale for them early...
___

For Thanksgiving, it's best to start Thanksgiving in June for sales to be a better precedent to Christmas in July. Selling turkeys in June also isn't outrageous. It's far healthier to consume than hot dogs and barbecue wings.

Halloween sales should start in spring. Going around wearing "Twilight"-inspired vampire masks provides a completely different re-awakening to nature that's been slumbering all winter.

Labor Day sales should start in at some point in February. The snowstorms will make no one want to wear white by the time Labor Day arrives.

Fourth of July sales and fireworks should be sold in December when cold weather outside will keep all bottle rockets and M-100's indoors.

A good time for St. Patrick's Day liquor sales will be on New Year's Eve to consolidate the hangovers.

Then there's Valentine's Day.

This sale may have to stay right where it is. January still remains the most morose month on the calendar, and leaving it clear of no holiday anticipation would make American productivity go to record lows.

In some retail circles soon to break out, Christmas in January sales probably doesn't sound all that bad...